Mirai Nikki: Another Paradox
by TheSummerWriter
Summary: Why do they both have that feeling of forgetting something (or is it someone) important?
1. Entry One

_May 8, 2006, Entry One _

_My name is Akise Aru. My goal is to become a world-famous detective. While searching Sakurami City, I keep getting vibes of deja vu. Like this entire past has happened before. Speaking of which, a few days ago, I predicted some of the incidents in Sakurami City. For instance, one name kept appearing in all of those incidents. Personally, I wonder if it was a coincidence that I had been observing this person-of-interest even before the news coverage. Fate is indeed strange, but today, I will meet said person-of-interest._

-1-

Day in and day out, it all felt the same. Thinking back to yesterday and the day before that, tomorrow wouldn't be any different than the day of today, and it wasn't the boringness of the world around him that brought boy-detective Akise Aru to sit sulking in the Sakurami City Park on a bench. No, instead of the boringness, it was _that_ feeling. That feeling that drove curiosity at one hundred miles per hour, that feeling that was feeling like something was… _forgotten_. Akise had been pondering just what he could have forgotten for days and days, but he never came close enough to figuring it out. This helplessness, this cluelessness, this confusion swarmed in on him, backing him up against a brick wall that he couldn't jump or escape from, and undeniably, it bothered him a lot.

But Akise Aru would never discover just why his body was behaving of its own volition. He would never understand why on the darkest nights he couldn't sleep, for fear that something would happen-not to him, but to someone. Someone important. He would never understand why he would be doing something normal, and then, he would be panged with this great sense of horror that was like a knife wound to his chest. He would never understand why his heart would just ache and wrench for no reason when he hadn't experienced anything to bring out such a reaction. He would never understand why he had forgotten this something or someone to begin with, and he would never understand why by the time he came close to solving the own mystery that was his forgetfulness, all traces would disappear.

There was white, there was red, and there was black.

-1-

"I'm telling you, there is no need for Amano Yukiteru."

"What are you talking about?! He plays a vital role within the Survival Game as the First!"

"And so he does, but think of it this way, First is First - whoever were to have his number would be as important as he was."

"Is that so?"

"Would you like to wager it?"

"Okay, what are the conditions of this little wager of yours?"

"Now, now, now, the conditions are to be more privately discussed than this. We're being intercepted."

"..."

Akise narrowed his amaranth eyes, making the mistake of turning his head and peeking in as good as he could into the opening of the door, but when he turned back, he was once again greeted by white, then red, and finally, that all-too-familiar blackness.


	2. Transfer

_Entry 2 - Transfer_

"Today, class, we will proceed session as usual, but I would like you to meet your new classmate." Hiyama drew away right as Akise stepped into the classroom, standing in front of the blackboard and meeting all of his peers' eyes. Mixed gazes of admiration, adoration, suspicion, confusion, and mischief were met with his own. However, none of those gazes caught his eye as much as _hers _did, or lack of hers did. She was writing something down in that planner of hers, and only a few delayed seconds later, she picked her head up and stared at him wondrously, and seeing that he was staring straight at her, her cheeks colored and she averted her eyes elsewhere. He smiled.

"Well?" Hiyama raised a brow. "Introduce yourself."

Akise nodded to his teacher, and returned to staring at his peers.

"My name is Akise Aru. I wish to be a world-class detective. If anyone of you notices something aloof, let me know. I will take any case you're willing to give up. However, if it's anything but, I'm not interested. Besides all of that, that is basically who I am. It's nice to meet you." He beamed, bowing once and when he stood back up, the class was laughing at him.

"What a freak."

"A detective? Isn't that supposed to be a secret?"

"Oi, don't be getting FBI agents and detectives confused, Ryhouei!"

"As if you're any better, Kosaka."

"That's enough, class." said Hiyama firmly, adding more quietly. "Of course the new student had to be an oddball."

Despite all of that, Akise wryly smiled and made his way over to the only empty desk, judging eyes following his back. He unzipped his backpack and pulled all of his belongings out of the bag, prepared for the notes they would be taking. He stared down at the lined, blank pages in front of him, the voices remarking him becoming quieter and the lines in front of him becoming squigglier as they squirmed away from his sight. That was when he realized he had been nodding himself to sleep.

"Akise!" cried Hiyama loudly, and the albino involuntarily jumped in his seat, eliciting classroom laughter once again. "You fall asleep during my lecture? That's a detention!"

"..." Akise sighed. His first day and already he had a date with detention for his first lunch. The laughter quieted, and Akise pressed the heel of his palm against his chin as he struggled to stay awake. It wasn't that the teaching was boring him or anything. He understood the math enough without reviewing. Why did he have to subject himself to relearning it again?

Glancing around, he saw that these new classmates weren't far from his way of thinking either, but he was sure that most of them weren't as much of passable material as he was. Some whispered, talking about what they would do for lunch and where they would go (_lucky for them_). Some played games on their devices, knowing just when to gaze up at Hiyama and when to look back down for the right score (_they were definitely adepts at that_). Really, the school wasn't that different than the one he had been attending previously, and he wouldn't have needed to attend if his parents hadn't decided to move to that house. Well, he couldn't be all that disappointed about moving, either. It wasn't like he had any friends, and he didn't. He smirked against the heel of his palm. It wasn't like he needed any, either. He just needed revenue for cases.

He didn't realize she'd been staring until he chanced a glance at her. She blushed darkly and turned away. Yuno Gasai, the class representative and the teacher's assistant. She had the highest score in all of her classes. She was the prodigy of the entire school. All of that was exposited from the papers pinned on the bulletin boards beside their classes. She was well-respected, and to cross her in any way was the demise of your own reputation. He tilted his head, staring at her. If she was that prodigy, why was she so shy? Or was she behaving this way only towards _him_?

Now, he was curious about Yuno Gasai.

-2-

The detention was a drag. Akise had spent most of it finishing his homework from his classes before lunch, and didn't have the chance to eat any of his lunch. Hiyama had sat at his desk, reading a book rather than eat his own lunch either. While homework was more or less out of the way, Akise was still upset. That hour and twenty-five minutes stolen away from that wretched detention could have been used for a worthwhile investigation of a crime scene. Or instead of the crime scene, he could have been investigating the prodigy that was Yuno Gasai.

"I'm home." He called out, but no one answered. Shrugging, he handled the door and slipped out of his dress shoes. It was normal for him to be home alone, what with busybody parents. His father was a businessman, and though his mother often stayed home to take care of the house and Akise, she would have to tag along in business trips. She tagged along, only to emphasize her title as his wife. It was stupid, Akise thought, but who was he to argue that adult logic?

He hung his jacket on the rack and walked into the kitchen, warming himself up an instant meal with his favorite chamomile tea. If he didn't have any cases to solve or any homework to do, he would just sleep off all the possible hours he slept and it would still be the best sleep he had had. He got so attentive in solving cases he often forgot he needed to sleep and eat. After all, he didn't have his parents around to question him about it.

The kitchen was very spacious and aesthetically pleasing in the way that it had _everything_, but the space only served to emphasize how small and alone Akise truly was. The new house was so unfamiliar, so big, and so… _not _home. It would take some getting used to.

His old house was smaller. The kitchen was cluttered with the dining room; the living room was the only spacious room of the first level and it was the impromptu foyer; and upstairs had the two bedrooms (one master) and bathroom. The house that Akise used to live in would make most people uncomfortable or question its pleasantries, but for Akise simplicity was the best. Now that he was in a bigger and better house, he really missed his old house. Why was there such a big kitchen for a family of three? Why was the dining room separate from the kitchen? Why have so many extra rooms with extra space?

"Akise Aru, your tea is _burning_!"

"Hmm? Ah… Ah!" Akise blinked, and then, he blinked again as he barely registered the howling of the tea kettle. He sighed, pulling the kettle to the side on top of an opposite burner, turning the other one off, and checked on his boiling noodles. Of course the noodles weren't done. Even for instant noodles, they took longer to prepare. He turned his attention to the short creature next to him.

"Hello there." He smiled.

"..." She never understood why no one screamed at the sight of her. What the hell were these humans taking her for? What? Was she something or someone to stare down at and laugh at? Face flaming in anger, she puffed her cheeks. "Akise Aru, you are the final contestant to earn your diary today."

"Final contestant? Diary?" Akise tilted his head, narrowing his eyes. Was he dreaming? There was something odd about a humanlike creature with an arrowed tail and horns, but there was even something more farfetched about diaries and contestants.

"The rules will be explained in later time. For now, First, I give you…" She snapped. Appearing within Akise's reach of thin air was a light blue flip phone. He caught it before gravity claimed it instead, and checked it over, curious. "The Detective Diary! The Detective Diary will predict incidents, suspicions, and actions of things and others around you. While these are the strengths of your diary, beware the weaknesses; all of these strengths rely on _your _perspective, and because it is not omniscient, it can lead to your death. So, treat this diary with care. Do you understand?"

There was silence, and then, soft laughter.

"Do you have to ask, mysterious creature?"

"My name is Murmur!"

"It's not my fault you weren't polite enough to introduce yourself before helping yourself inside of my home." He chuckled, and Murmur fumed. "By the way, when is later time of the explanation?"

"That would be 8:35 PM."

"In the meantime, would you like to have tea with me?"

"..."

* * *

Akise stared at the silhouettes surrounding him on their own platforms. The platforms reminded him of pedestals. The whole construction of the stone platform stretching out and all meeting at the immense throne, reminded him a lot of the Greek tales he learned within Literature Class and how all of the gods were inferior to an almighty, Zeus. He chuckled. The concept of the game was simple enough; to kill or be killed, and the last one standing was the winner. The winner became Deus's heir to throne of Space and Time.

While he wasn't interested in winning the game in the slightest, Akise couldn't help his own excitement. The prospect of a chase always had him eager. Sure, he was reckless, but he wasn't entirely reckless for the sake of being reckless. He glanced around him.

All eleven contestants in their varying silhouettes stood on their platforms. Some were engaging in heated arguments of promises of death, and others silently watched, amused or horrified. The silhouette next to Akise caught his eye. They were trembling slightly, clutching to their diary for dear life, and Akise couldn't help noticing that if they clutched any tighter, the poor contraption would break.

"Excuse me, Second-san," he said. "You should calm down, or you'll break your diary."

The silhouette gasped in shock.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." He laughed. "I just noticed that you were holding it a bit too tight-"

"And?" barked another voice. Akise glanced over, it came from the ninth pedestal. "Let Second break the diary, it gives me less work to do." He could feel the grin in her smug voice.

"Unlike you, Ninth-san," He stared right at her, smirking. "I want a fair game."

"Fair games are b_oooo_ring!" cried a smaller voice, the fifth pedestal. "Whatever, it'll be more fun when I find everyone!"

"Don't get cocky!" Ninth sneered.

The meeting was eventually dismissed, silhouettes whirling into thin air in silence. Akise sat upright in his bed, thinking. He was the last to leave the meeting, but his mind was consumed by Second's behavior. The trembling, the sound of surprise, and he didn't miss the way Second was staring right at him in his peripheral vision when speaking to Ninth. Whoever Second was, they were more normal than the rest of them, including him. He grinned. He should've been nervous. He should've been scared. He wasn't either in the slightest, instead, a rush of adrenaline and excitement had him up all night as he planned out his next investigating escapade.


	3. Survive! Day One

_Entry 3 - Survive! Day One_

Akise sat in his desk, eyes narrowed behind the notebook he held upright to cover most of his face. He was staring at Hiyama. Hiyama sat in his own desk, reading the newspaper. Akise had been surveying him for awhile now, and he suspected little by little that Takao Hiyama, Math Teacher, was the Phantom Street Killer. Lately, he'd been bringing more newspapers than books and he always brought it upon himself to warn the students about the killer's lurkings, and Akise did not miss the huskiness in his voice. To put it bluntly, no one got off of warning people about a killer than the killer himself.

_What an ego. _Akise smirked, laying his notebook down in front of him and writing his thoughts down inside the lined pages. Now, he needed to think of a way he would trap Hiyama and hand him over to the police. He had Nishijima on speed-dial, but Nishijima wasn't too reliable. Not that Nishijima could be blamed, either, because he'd only been in the department for three years and going. That, and his chief, Keigo Kurusu, didn't think too fondly of Akise. In the least, Akise was glad that Nishijima didn't completely abandon him like Kurusu would have wanted, because the only friend Akise had was Nishijima.

Akise's smirk fell and he stared down at the half-filled pages thoughtfully. He met Nishijima as his babysitter when he was eight. His parents were flying to Singapore for one of his father's important business conferences, and his mother thought that Nishijima was the perfect teenager for the job. She met Nishijima as a clerk in a popular convenience store and she hit it off well with the boy, keeping in contact if _he _ever needed anything, but it was more the other way around. Nonetheless, Nishijima fell in love with Akise at first sight as his sitter. He wouldn't let Akise out of his sight for more than five minutes, enjoyed cuddling and holding him more than he should have, and was way too enthusiastic about storytelling, and Akise, playing it safe, pretended to act his age.

So, naturally, when Akise exposed his true intellectual nature to Nishijima when he was eleven, Nishijima… _fainted_. From there on, the two of them had actual conversations instead of Nishijima crooning and cooing to him all of the time, and Akise really appreciated that. Though, if he confessed that to Nishijima, his heart would break. As they say, some things were better left unsaid. Akise smiled fondly. Nishijima was truly the greatest friend Akise could have ever had, because as an adult by eight years, Nishijima understood where Akise was coming from, unlike the narrow-minded people of his age.

It's not that Akise was belittling them or anything. It's just that Akise was… mentally smarter and more mature than the rest. That had always been a problem. He couldn't meet someone of his equal wavelength and resorted to skipping school to solve cases. What was the point of going to school when there was nothing to do? Sure, he should go to listen to the lectures, take the notes, and get the homework, but he did bookwork to catch up and ace the class in the end for the absences.

Even now, Akise had no desire to be there. Akise was only there for two reasons. One, he was planning on how he would end up trapping Hiyama tonight as the Phantom Street Killer. Two, Yuno Gasai. He glanced over at her. She was sitting in her desk, writing equations very neatly with her dainty hand. He still couldn't figure her out. He still didn't understand why someone so admired and loved by the zealous classmates around her was so shy and easily intimidated.

He would be lying if he said that it didn't bother him, because Akise was getting that feeling again. That feeling that he was forgetting something or someone important, and whenever he worried about Gasai's behavior, his heart pounded and his blood ran cold. What was wrong with him?

He turned away from her in time to see Hiyama's leering eyes on her. Something inside of Akise dropped. It was like he went down a serious dip in a rollercoaster and his organs dropped out, never to be recovered again. Noticing Akise's staring at him, Hiyama glanced at him, glared, and then, returned to his newspaper. Why had he been staring at Gasai like _that_? The more Akise asked those questions to himself, the more dreadful he felt himself becoming. Just what was going on between the teacher and his leading student?

Akise sat underneath a tree outside the cafeteria in the courtyard by the basketball court and picnic tables. He was writing in his notebook, planning out different ways he could trap Hiyama when he heard his diary screech the changing of the future in his pocket. Alarmed, he pulled it out and checked it over. Also, was there a way to quiet the notifications? He didn't want to be caught.

**April 19, 2006, 12:38 PM**: Hiyama-sensei kept Gasai-san in class. From their body language, Gasai-san is very disturbed and Hiyama-sensei wants her to do something.

Akise raised his eyebrow. He pocketed his diary, looking up as Gasai was walking out of the cafeteria with her friends. Her sullen face squared to a smile, trying her best to act normal, he noticed. He needed to watch her closely. If she slipped in his surveying, he could find out what the two of them were up to.

"Hey, freak!"

Akise turned away, towards the sound of the voice.

"Haha! Did you see that? He _actually_ turned! He likes that nickname!"

It was Ouji Kosaka and his friend, Shiraishi. Akise chuckled, sliding his notebook shut and putting away his belongings into his bag. He pulled it onto his back, stood, and sauntered over to them, smiling evenly. Kosaka raised his brow, holding the basketball against his hip more defensively. Shiraishi glanced between the two watchfully.

"Hey, Kosaka." Akise stopped in his tracks. "Was that your way of asking me to play with you?"

"…Eh?" Kosaka and Shiraishi sounded simultaneously, surprised.

"It is, isn't it? That has to be the only reason why you bothered to call me." Akise laughed, softening. "Unless, you taunt others for sport? If that's the case," He turned away, shaking his head. "That sounds _so_ boring!"

"…" They exchanged looks.

"We don't," Shiraishi coughed into his fist, peeved at the fact that his reputation was in question.

"You'll really play with us?" asked Kosaka, still stunned.

"It beats doing nothing!" Akise turned back to them, cheerful. "Your move, Ko-kun!"

"...Dude," Kosaka's face scowled. "I was cool up until you called me _that_!" He thrust the basketball into Shiraishi's hands and stormed over to Akise, balling his hand into a fist to sock the albino. Akise chuckled, easily catching both of Kosaka's fists in his hands and pulling him closer dangerously.

"Now that I've caught you_ red-handed_, what will you do?" He asked playfully.

"Errgh!" Kosaka grunted, trying to wriggle his hands free from Akise's grip and trying to use his legs to maim him in some way or other.

Shiraishi grinned nervously at the two of them, holding the basketball.

"C'mon, you guys… (_You're embarrassing me_)"

Three girls watched them from where they sat on the grass. Gasai shyly stared at Akise, who was laughing every time Kosaka grunted a mean name to him. The other two girls, a brunette and purplette smiled and laughed.

"Boys being boys," One of them said, rolling her light brown eyes and shaking her head. "but we love them anyway."

"Look at Shiraishi, he looks like he'd want to be anywhere but there!" The second girl with green eyes cried, laughing quietly against her palm. She turned to Gasai. "Hey, Yuno-chan, what do you think of Akise?"

"..." She blushed deeply, and the two girls smirked.

"Someone has a crush!"

"It seems that Mr. Detective…. solved the case to your heart!"

"Oh wow, Mao!"

"I couldn't resist, Hinata."

Gasai actually laughed and smiled.

"You two are so funny, but… I don't know if I do like him or not." She admitted quietly, hanging her head down. "He's cute, but… I don't know." She sighed, frowning. There was something about Akise that made her have _that _feeling.

That sudden feeling of emptiness and something else… it was venomous and hot. Was it hatred? It surged through her whenever she looked at him. It made her _really _want to rip him apart and savor the noises of anguish he would make, but at the same time, that emptiness and that feeling of forgetting something or _someone_… what was it? What did Akise have to do with it?

She looked back up at the same time he stared at her. His smile fell. Her blush paled away. They stared at each other for the longest time, until Kosaka took advantage of Akise's lowering guard and socked him across the face. Everyone simultaneously cried out in shock as he back planted. Akise's vision was swimming, and then, it went black.

-3-

Akise fluttered his eyes open. He woke to the nurse's office. Sitting on a leather armchair next to the resting cot was Gasai, asleep. The nurse noticed he was awake and smiled, walking over.

"How do you feel?" She asked.

"...Like my cheek is swollen."

"You're right on point."

"...Mmhh…" Akise closed his eyes again, swollen left cheek, that was purple, searing. "What time is it?"

"It's two-ten. You've missed your fifth class halfway." said the nurse. "And so has she."

Akise reopened his eyes and stared at sleeping Gasai on the chair.

"Is she your girlfriend? She was so adamant about staying with you…" The nurse smiled. "It was adorable."

"Oh no," He sat up now. "She's a classmate of mine."

"Oh." The nurse nodded acceptingly. "You should wake her up, too. I'll write you both passes to your classes." She walked away, disappearing into the next room.

He gently tapped Gasai on the shoulder. She stirred, blinking her cerise eyes open and staring at him. He stared back. Suddenly, she blushed and turned away.

"You're awake… Um, how are you?"

"I could be better." He grinned. "What about you?"

"I wasn't the one punched in the face…"

"Maybe, but you were asked to stay by Hiyama-sensei."

Her eyes widened.

"Gasai-san, if you don't mind me-"

"I'm happy you're okay, Akise-kun." She stood from the chair, not facing him. "We should go to our classes now, or we'll be marked absent for sure."

"Gasai-san, you can tell me." said Akise firmly. "Even if you don't tell me right now, I _will_ find out."

"..." She didn't budge.

"If you suit yourself." He shrugged, walking past her, unabashed.

She stared after him, heart aching in her chest. Then, there was that emptiness and horrible heat of anger-hatred, whatever it was that made her want to so vehemently rip him apart and watch him spatter red. She palmed her face, shaking and quietly crying. What was wrong with her? Why was she feeling that way? Why was she acting that way only towards _him_?

Akise had stopped in his tracks at hearing her quiet cries. He turned back to her, staring softly at the shaking form of her. And in dawning realization, he was surprised. He was surprised that he found the Second's silhouette there, shaking just as much as Gasai was now. Yuno Gasai, the Second… Glad her face was covered, he betrayed his shock with a soft smile and walked back over to her, pulling her into his arms.

"Don't cry, Gasai-san."

"I thought y-you l-left…" She croaked.

"No, I didn't." He whispered, holding her tighter. He didn't understand why the sight of her crying was wrenching his heart as much as it was. He didn't understand why he wanted to hold her for as long as it took that all of her fears would dissipate, and she would be okay again. He didn't understand why holding her made him feel better and angry at the same time, but he didn't dare dwell on it, because she needed him. He closed his eyes, pressing his cheek that wasn't purple-swollen against her head and cooing to her. "I'll protect you if you talk to me."

"You w-will?" she asked weakly. "B-but you don't kn-know m-me…"

"Maybe I don't, but I want to protect you anyways." _Because there's something about you that's making me feel this way._

* * *

"Don't forget to come to our place at the normal time tonight, Gasai."

"Y-yes, Hiyama-sensei…"

Gasai walked the mostly vacant streets of Sakurami City. It was ten-fifteen, her cellphone read. She was walking back from home to change into her black disguise and replace bags. She wore a dark hoodie over her obvious hair that was well-contained in the hood, matching sweatpants, and running shoes. Her heart and butterflies conjoined in her throat, leaving behind an unpleasant and bitter lump. She was afraid, she knew. She never wanted to be a part of the game. The night was pitch-black and overcast, hiding the stars she loved to admire.

As she neared a tall scraper still under construction, she was shaking harder than before. It wasn't from the chill of night. She looked up at the highest floor, the rooftop. Preparing herself for the worst. Preparing herself for the inevitable. Preparing herself for death. She swallowed down the lump in her throat, eyes stinging with tears. She walked through the first floor, summoned the elevator, and walked inside of it. She was about to push the button to the seventeenth floor when someone rushed into the elevator with her as a blue blur. Her cerise eyes widened underneath the hood as she realized who it was…

"Found you." He said softly.

He pulled her hood down and smiled at her. Tears running down her cheeks, sobs threatened to escape her and she was shaking so hard, she almost collapsed on her knees. Akise pulled her closer to him by his hands wrapping around her own warmly.

"Take it easy," He cooed. "I'm here with you. I'll protect you from him now. I promised, remember?"

She nodded solemnly. That was true. He held her in the nurse's office for awhile, and admitted to being the First. She didn't know if it was out of a whim, but he even asked her to hold his diary for him, as if daring her to smash it or something. She hadn't, and rather hesitantly, she explained her situation to him. She was being threatened by Third to cooperate in his serial sprees, or he would not only admit the truth of everyone's beloved prodigy, but he would kill her, too.

What the truth was? Akise didn't know yet, but Gasai promised to show him after the confrontation. He didn't know what it was that could be so bad to tarnish her image, or maybe he was underestimating the capacity of the truth. Maybe he didn't want to believe an adorable, seemingly innocent girl like Yuno Gasai could be responsible for anything as grim as the Phantom Street Killings.

"What's your diary do, Gasai-san?" He had explained the mechanics of the Detective Diary to her back in the nurse's office, and while she was fascinated, she was also envious, because her diary didn't seem too useful in comparison.

"...It records my surroundings from my perspective." She pulled it out. "The Random Diary."

"The Random Diary?" He tilted his head, staring at the dark blue flip phone intently. Nostalgia, sorrow, and loathing were consuming him then. He didn't know why, but seeing that phone in her hand made him feel that string of emotions. "I see. So your diary is limited to your perspective, too. We can't rely too heavily on our diaries, then. Also, it would be unsafe to have them out all of the time." He smiled it off.

"Mm…" She agreed, putting it away and adjusting her disguise absentmindedly.

As the elevator was carried further up, there was no dull music to fill in the silence. There was only the terror that came with nightfall, and the man that awaited them with his machete. She squeezed her eyes shut. Akise smiled softly, holding her hand tighter; _I'm here with you_. The semi-peacefulness of their elevator ascent ended when the doors parted open to reveal Third standing there in the broad moonlight, waiting for them as she imagined. At the sight of Akise, he was charging towards them. Smirking triumphantly, Akise pressed the button to the fourteenth floor.

"What are you doing?!" she asked, horrified.

"I'm luring him." Akise glanced at her, fearless. As composed as he seemed to be, his insides were pulsating like ten thousand pounding hearts. He was excited. He was wired. He was ready. He couldn't deny that he was enjoying the survival game a lot more than he honestly should be. He smirked wider, wondering if this was what it felt like to be a detective on a _real _case.

When the doors parted again, Third stood there again. He ran at them, slinging his machete down towards Akise. Akise ducked and scurried out of the elevator, pulling Gasai behind him when he stopped at a particular wall, grinning to himself. The disguised Hiyama walked towards them, breathing heavily, menacingly, in his gas mask.

"I should have suspected you were a holder, Mr. Detective."

"You should be more alert of your surroundings, Hiyama-sensei." Akise beamed. Even bound on Death's finger, he was full of exhilaration. He couldn't calm himself down, even with Gasai clinging to his arm _tightly_. She was shaking slightly, her widened eyes fixated on their Math Teacher. Unlike Akise, she was anything but calm.

"You brought him, didn't you?" asked Hiyama.

"She didn't bring me," Akise stared at him through the tint of the mask. "I followed her here. Actually, I've been following her and you for awhile. It's what I have to do with persons of interest as a detective, after all."

"Regardless if you followed her or not," Hiyama smiled. "I'll kill the two of you right here, right now."

"Hmm… are you sure about that?" asked Akise.

Hiyama charged, slinging his machete down once again on Akise. This time Hiyama pierced through something, but blood wasn't spilling? Akise was unflinchingly staring at him, smirking, but Gasai had cried out, wide-eyed and shaking.

"Akise-kun?!" She cried.

"I'm fine. See?" He beamed at her, showing her that his blue jacket wasn't torn in the slightest.

Hiyama's eyes widened. Then, what did he pierce? Akise smirked, yanking down on a lever with a plastic gloved hand, and the Math Teacher didn't have the chance to utter a single, miniscule sound as he was silently electrocuted. Gasai's eyes followed where the machete had been caught on a switchboard, horrified. She drank in the sight, her shaking coming to a complete freeze as she was only standing there, quiet. Hiyama's body finally dropped down to the floor with a thud, and Akise beckoned her to follow him outside of the building, through the back where they were less likely to be seen.

Once outside, he disposed of the glove he'd been wearing into a nearby trashcan, after wrapping it with napkins from his pocket. It was better to be safe than sorry. He turned around to see Gasai's horrified face. He tilted his head, smile falling the slightest at the sight of her face.

"I couldn't be messy, Gasai-san." He explained, but when she didn't budge at all, he blinked. "Are you alright?"

"..." She snapped out of it, laughing quietly and nodding her head. "I'm fine! What are you talking about?"

He stared at her in disbelief. She just smiled widely at him, as if none of that had happened. He was filled with the familiar, vague sense of horror. It was inexplicably familiar, he knew he had felt it before but didn't know why. From the moment he saw that doe shine in her cerise eyes; from the moment he saw that innocent smile spread across her lips; and from the moment her voice lightened, he knew something was amiss and the knowingness of that was horrifying for a reason he couldn't quite see yet. What happened to the skittish girl from before?

"Gasai-san?"

"That's right! I have something to show you. Don't I, Akise-kun?"

"Ah, yes, that's true, but-"

"Come on, Akise-kun!"

Bewildered and hopelessly confused for the familiar feelings he couldn't remember what from, he was pulled by Gasai as they walked the vacant, silent streets of Sakurami City, and the horror that was inside of him before only intensified in their silence.


	4. The Horrifying Truth

_Entry 4 - The Horrifying Truth_

_What I saw last night was… _Akise couldn't shake it off. He was all too aware of the loathing inside of him; all too aware of the disbelief that kept his eyes wide open and blank; all too aware of the sharpening in his chest whenever she glanced his way. He hadn't slept last night. He hadn't eaten since the day before yesterday. He felt sick. That kind of sick where it's all in your head at first, where your mind seemed to whirl and everything that made sense was starting to not make sense, and then, bile was rising up your throat and you felt like throwing up…

They had a substitute for Hiyama's class. Everyone was surprised. Coming from students that had him first semester and now the second semester, he never called in sick once and was always present. For him to be absent in the mid of second term surprised everyone, but Akise. He hadn't been attending this school for as long as they had. He didn't feel obligated to act surprised like Gasai had.

He also knew why Hiyama wasn't there. All that excitement and tension he felt last night was long gone. In the afterglow of the wild goose chase, there was emptiness. He stared ahead blankly, drowning out the substitute's droning about how they were expected to finish the review sheet by the end of class. To be honest, Akise himself didn't understand why he suddenly felt underwhelmed, or maybe he did understand, just refused to think it.

That lukewarmth spread from his face to the rest of his body; teeth humming; feeling cold and empty, just by the lock of their eyes on each other. He broke the stare, gritting his humming teeth quietly and trying his best to distract himself. Akise didn't miss her flinch when she slowly turned back to her review sheet. He knew that later he would scold himself for showing his distrust so blatantly in the open, but at the moment, Akise didn't care.

He pushed the heel of his palm against his chin, turning to the window by his seat. There were swallow-birds fluttering near his window, chirping musically, and then, flying off into the distance. Akise slid his amaranth eyes closed, trying to relax his tensed muscles. All he cared about was understanding why Yuno Gasai had done that to her parents. What she showed him last night after the confrontation…

"_Ah, Gasai-san!" Akise pulled himself to a stop on the sidewalk. The city was less loud at that hour, but unlike earlier, it wasn't as vacant. People were walking past each other, going different places and minding their own business. He smiled small at her puzzled face. "Before you show me, I should call Nishijima and tell him about the Phantom Street Killer."_

"…" _Gasai stared at him. Her eyes were wide and blank, cerise irises unwavering on him. Her lips were half open, forming a confused o-shape. Then, she tilted her head the slightest to the right, and Akise was expecting her to affirm his statement, but instead… "Oh right. You're investigating the Phantom Street Killer, aren't you, Akise-kun?"_

What… what is that about_? Akise stared at her in confusion and in shock, eyes wide. That didn't make any sense. Why was she asking such an indirect question when she was there with him? She did see that the two of them manipulated him into hitting the switchboard, didn't she? He raised his own brow._

_Gasai laughed quietly at that._

"_Why do you look so confused? Didn't you tell the class that you wanted to be a detective?"_

"…" Play it safe_. "I didn't think you were listening." He managed a crooked, half-grin. Deep down inside, the vague horror gripped him in a tight vice. Akise pulled his phone out and immediately pressed his second option for speed-dial. While Akise left Nishijima a message directing him to where Hiyama was most likely still incapacitated or dead, Gasai twirled, smiling and glancing all over the place._

_Akise couldn't shake off that forebodingness inside of him. Not too long ago, Gasai feared for her life and for that secret she was going to show him. And now, how could she behave in such a… casual manner? It was as if she had forgotten why the two of them were out in public at eleven in the night. Or maybe, it was her way of coping with all the things Hiyama had made her do in their one-sided "alliance" and the shock that claimed her at witnessing his electrocution._

_Akise wanted to believe that, because he couldn't see a girl like Yuno Gasai being anything synonymous to a monster in human's flesh. At least, that's how he thought before she reclaimed his hand in hers and was pulling him off to her house. The closer they came to her neighborhood, the stronger the horror inside of Akise compressed his chest. As soon as she opened the door and it was pitch black, he knew there was something completely, horribly wrong…_

"_I'm sorry, Akise-kun," she laughed quietly. "The electricity bill hasn't been paid. Excuse me, but please wait there. Oh! Don't forget to take your shoes off!"_

_Her footsteps padded away someplace within that unforeseeable darkness. Akise took that solitary chance to compose himself of his irrational fear. He breathed silently to himself and he swallowed the nervous lumps in his throat, gently slipping out of his dress shoes. Gasai returned with candlelight, smiling at him._

"_Akise-kun?"_

"_Yes, Gasai-san?"_

"_Follow me."_

_He complied. She led him to a slide door that was mercilessly closed off by black duct tape. She stopped in her tracks in front of that slide door, staring at it silently for awhile with Akise behind her. And then, she turned back to him, eyes stinging with tears and lips trembling._

"_What you see in here…" She said shakily. "You c-can't tell anyone…"_

_ Akise hesitated, but then, he nodded. He insisted that she could tell him anything back in the nurse's office and he promised that he would protect her, yet that forebodingness inside of him was urging him not to go through with it. But Akise was a boy of his word. He suspected that it had to be bad for Hiyama to use the secret as leverage for her cooperation in his killings. _

_ Gasai slid the door open, inhaling deeply and walking in with her candlelight, Akise following her. As soon as he walked into the room, that strong, putrid scent of decaying flesh stung his nostrils, inclining him to cover his nose tightly. He narrowed his eyes, scowling, and his gaze landed upon two dead bodies. His eyes widened, and all of that horror from before commanded him to run, to escape, to get the hell out. To get away from _her_._

"_A-akise-kun?" she stared at him._

"…" _He stepped out of the room, and breathed heavily. No, he could still smell that, and he hated it. He hated it. And for a moment, he almost told himself that he hated _her_. Quickly, he dismissed himself and said he'd see her tomorrow, subjecting himself to a sleepless night of contemplation._

Akise didn't hate her, even though those inexplicable feelings and emotions inside of him were trying to convince him otherwise. He was disturbed, but he didn't hate her. Who wouldn't be disturbed? He was surprised that she let him leave in the first place. If she was murderous material, she would have disposed of him right away, but at the same time, he had the suspicion that she was sparing him for the sake of using him later. But then, what would that do? What would she gain? Besides the winning prize of Godship?

He always preferred being safe than sorry, and usually, no one was spared of his suspicion. He knew he promised her that he would protect her and he knew that he insisted that she could tell him anything. He knew all of that, but he couldn't bring himself to calm down around her. Akise sighed against his palm, closing his eyes.

He just wanted to understand why she did it. Maybe if he understood, he could learn to put the situation past them and move on, but at the same time, a part of him didn't want to let it go. That part of him that was adamant about the anger, the unexplained vendetta, and the hard calculation towards Yuno Gasai that wouldn't cease. His lips twitched. Nothing was making sense to him, and little did he know, things would only get farther to grasp.

"Akise-kun?"

Akise turned to the sound of her voice, feigning boredom, as her two friends were behind her a few feet away, grinning ear-to-ear.

"What is it, Gasai-san?"

"…Um, I was wondering if you would have lunch with me."

Oh, class had ended. He hadn't even noticed. Akise stood from his chair, packing his things into his backpack in silence. He hadn't even done the worksheet, but a stupid thing like that was unimportant when one saw corpses in another's house. He thought as a detective in training that he would be prepared for anything, but with a sarcastic smile on his face, he was starting to realize that he wasn't as prepared as he thought he was.

He knew appearances were deceiving, but he lowered his guard for the prodigy of his new school. He knew that liars were good with pretending, but he allowed himself to be convinced of her innocence through the tears she cried and the fear in her eyes. He knew all of that from cases Nishijima had told him all about and he knew that from secondhand experience, so why was he that surprised when Yuno Gasai was just another prime example of all of it?

The worst feeling he had at that moment was the feeling that maybe it wasn't all a calculating act on her part.

"Akise-kun?"

"I'm sorry, I have to go somewhere right now," He smiled apologetically at her, zipping his backpack and pulling it on. He walked past her, about to leave the room, when he turned back to her. "Gasai-san?"

"…Yes, Akise-kun?" She stared at him.

"I can meet you in the Sakurami Plaza after school, if you're interested in a date."

Gasai's friends swooned.

"…" Gasai blushed.

"I'll know if it's a yes or no when I see you there." He concluded, walking away and leaving Gasai's friends most likely hot and bothered.

"Oh, he's perfect for you!"

"I like how casual he is about it… I want Shiraishi to take note of that!"

Gasai smiled at her friends, but with so many things on her mind and Akise being one of them, she couldn't be as easily distracted by their cute antics as usual.

-4-

The plaza, as should be, was in the middle of the city and its buildings. It was very big and immaculate with its stone walkways, neatly scattered benches, the stone fountain that everyone loved to throw wishes into, and the many movable stands of ice-cream, hot dogs, and the expected junk food. Akise sat on one of the benches with his backpack, staring off into space in thought. He had skipped the rest of his classes after school, riding off all of the confliction inside of him. On his bike, he circled the city and crashed at the building he subdued Third in. He checked the place down level by level for a few hours and found no trace of the contestant, leaving his bike back home. Had Nishijima picked him up after all?

"Akise-kun!"

Akise looked up to Gasai running over, she dropped down beside him.

"Gasai-san, you came." He said, surprised.

"You didn't think I would?" She laughed softly, smiling.

"…After last night, I didn't expect you to talk to me at all." He admitted.

"…Last night?" She tilted her head, staring at him. There it was again. That wide-eyed, half parted lips expression she had made that night that baffled Akise. Though, at that moment, something clicked and his eyes widened and he gasped quietly. "Akise-kun?!"

"Wait here, Gasai-san." He stood. "I'll get us ice-cream. What flavor do you want?"

"Vanilla, please." She smiled shyly at him.

He nodded, walking away to one of the ice-cream stands. The plaza was crowded at that hour since many of the middle and high schools dismissed around that time. He stood in line. Akise was beginning to understand Yuno Gasai little-by-little. He still didn't understand why she had killed her parents, but he knew that she wasn't feigning innocence on a whim. No, she was _suppressing _her memories. Whether it was voluntarily or not, Akise didn't know, but he knew she was suppressing her memories of things that were too painful for her to cope with.

Her parents' bodies, the alliance with Third, the confrontation with Third, and Akise seeing her secret, her parents' bodies; all of them were a trigger for her to suppress her memories either accordingly or automatically as a coping mechanism. He didn't know for sure, but it wasn't as if he could ask either. He walked back with their ice-cream cones.

"Here," He held hers out to her.

"Thankyou, Akise-kun." She laughed gently, smiling sweetly at him with a blush on her cheeks.

He sat back down next to her, licking his ice-cream here and there absentmindedly, but he wasn't too _there _to really be enjoying it as much as Gasai was. She had finished hers and thrown the wrapper away.

"Akise-kun, are you scared of getting a brain freeze?"

"No, why?"

"You're not eating your ice-cream fast enough, it'll melt!"

"Ah, but—" She leaned in and lapped her tongue over where the melting vanilla ice-cream had been seeping from the cone. Akise blinked, staring at her for the longest moment in surprise, mouth having fell open a little. Yes, he was caught off guard, but…

She blushed darkly, pulling back.

"S-sorry..."

"No, it's okay." He quickly said. "…I'll share it." He added, a bit awkwardly. He wasn't used to that kind of thing.

"You don't have to." She glanced down at her lap, fidgeting with her blue uniform skirt.

"No, really," he held it out to her, smiling small. "I want to share it, with you."

She blushed an even darker color than before, and his smile widened. That uncertainty from earlier flew right off of his chest, and he felt like he could relax now. It didn't mean that he was condoning what she had done to her parents or with Third, but it did mean that he could relax and think through what he should do in the current situation. As long as he could think, things should be fine. He definitely couldn't tell the police about it, because he said he would protect her and that she could tell him anything, suggesting that secrets were to be just that. So...

He leaned in at the same time she had, and both of their faces colored simultaneously; Akise's blush lighter than hers, but still as noticeable.

"I'm sorry, Gasai-san—"

"Ah, Akise-kun, I'm so sorry—"

His phone rang.

"Excuse me, Gasai-san." He fished his phone out of his pocket, answering the call as soon as he walked a respective distance away. Gasai stayed sitting on the bench, eating his ice-cream. "Nishijima? What are the news?"

"-_Akise, I hate to tell you this now, but you were in school… So I didn't want to disturb you_—"

"What happened?" asked Akise, suddenly alarmed.

"-_It's the Phantom Street Killer. We followed your call, but by the time we made it to the building, his body had _disappeared…"

Akise's eyes widened. Third, Takao Hiyama's, unmoving body had vanished from the fourteenth floor? That couldn't have happened. He had been electrocuted. If he had survived that, in the least, he would have been stunned for a length of time that they would make it there and take him into custody. Or did it mean that the shock of the electrocution had killed him after all, and as the Third Contestant of the Survival Game, his corpse disappeared? If that was the case, wouldn't it have disappeared immediately after the electrocution? And then, he distinctly recalled Deus mentioning that their bodies would only disappear if damage had been done to _the _diary. None of that was making sense…

"-_Akise-kun_?"

"I'm here," Akise breathed against the phone. "Does this mean that the Phantom Street Killer is loose?"


	5. Breaking News

_Entry 5 - Breaking News_

"-_Until anymore sightings, then yes._"

"Nishijima, where are you?" asked Akise urgently. "I need to talk to you right now."

Akise heard the light laugh on the other line.

"-_You are talking to me_."

"No, I need to talk to you about something very important in person. Please, Nishijima?"

"-_I could pick you up in twenty-five minutes. Where are you_?"

"I'm at the Sakurami Plaza Park."

"-_Okay, I'll be there in no time, Akise._"

Akise pocketed his phone, wiping the little sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. He couldn't believe it. How had the Third disappeared? The voltage of the switchboard was mild at best. Not too low for him to be capable of crawling away upon falling down to the floor, but not too high for him to be killed, and if he had died from such a mild shock, where had his body gone? It didn't make sense.

He walked back over to Gasai. She was licking his ice-cream happily, a pleasant blush on her cheeks and some kind of adorable laughter in the way she was smiling. Despite himself, especially from earlier, he cracked a smile and felt his heart warm the slightest. Akise laughed to himself, amused at how he was reacting in such a strange way to a girl being a girl. Yes, Yuno Gasai killed her parents and sided with a serial killer for a length of time, but at the end of the day, she was just a girl.

He shook his head. He wasn't condoning her and he wasn't ignoring what he saw. If he was being honest with himself, he was conflicted about his feelings for the cotton-candy haired girl. He didn't know why there were heated feelings of anger, disgust, and a twisted knot at the pit of his stomach, bound to the strings of his heart that struggled to open for her (_did he want Gasai to open his heart_). Yet there were also those calmer feelings of trust, belief, and the desire of protecting her no matter what. He didn't understand any of it, and the lack of understanding scared him the most.

Gasai looked up at him, smiling. He smiled back. The plaza had calmed down quite a bit, but there were some lingering groups of mischievous teenagers, loving couples, and sometimes couples with small children on a rendezvous around the city. He glanced at their surroundings, and then back at her, heaving a regretful sigh.

"Gasai-san?"

"Yes, Akise-kun?"

"Since the Phantom Street Killer _is _loose, I was thinking of telling my good friend, Nishijima, about our diaries. If you don't trust me, I'll only tell him about mine and explain everything to him. He'll be picking us up soon."

"…" Gasai blinked, staring up at him. "You trust him?"

"I trusted him with my life and safety before, and I could do it again." Akise turned to her, smiling. "No regrets for me."

"..If you trust him, then I'll help in any way I can, too!"

"Are you sure?"

"Mm! We're a team, right, Akise-kun?!"

"…Yeah, we're a team." He grinned, and she pleasantly smiled back.

After awhile of sitting together and eating the ice-cream, Nishijima eventually arrived and the two of them climbed into the back of his black car. He blinked upon seeing Gasai, but a slow smirk spread across his face. Akise shrugged to himself, shaking his head and staring out his window. Gasai was beaming, hands folded on her lap through the entire ride from the park to a nearby diner.

A waitress welcomed them, leading them to a corner booth. They followed and sat. The diner was very western, blending the colors of white and sparkling red together in a 50's theme. Between a booth and the dining tablesets for two on the opposite side of them was a jukebox, and most of the teenagers were having a grand old time dropping their quarters in and playing popular songs from that week. Right now, _Filament _by_ Yousei Teikoku _played throughout the diner. Nishijima sat next to Akise and Yuno was opposite of them.

"You could have taken us to the station." said Akise, frowning.

"No way, I wanted to spend time with you!" Nishijima grinned, and then, turned to Gasai. "I had no idea that we would have company, though. Hello, I'm Masumi Nishijima, Akise's big brother! Who are you, pretty girl?"

"Nishijima!" Akise furrowed his brows, embarrassed.

Gasai blushed, smiling.

"My name is Yuno Gasai. I am Akise-kun's classmate, and right now, we're on a date!"

Akise palmed his face with both hands. Nishijima smirked, turning his head to Akise now. Under such scrutiny from his "big brother", Akise wouldn't have minded if the situation was different than this, but Gasai was here and she was really milking the date thing. He had only said it as a cover-up to her friends, but she honestly thought that it was a date. He kept his palms to his face.

"So you're Akise-kun's girlfriend?" asked Nishijima, grinning.

"Mm!" She nodded.

"Gasai-san is my classmate." Akise corrected, lifting his face from his palms. He wasn't blushing. He stared at them both seriously, until he saw her smile.

"But it's true, isn't it, Akise-kun?" She asked him, tilting her head.

And that was when Akise saw it. Those innocent cerise eyes dilating into widened and swirled delusion with an intensity that made him think of death. Pink death, not too far from the color of blood spilling the floor. He felt a chill run through him at staring at her, but he smiled offhandedly and turned to Nishijima. Gasai pouted.

"Nishijima, there's something I need to tell you about the Phantom Street Killer, and me, too." said Akise, serious.

"What?" asked Nishijima, grin falling.

"Well, last night…" Akise glanced questioningly at Gasai.

Gasai smiled and nodded encouragingly. That swirling in her eyes had disappeared. Was it his imagination after all?

"I followed Gasai-san to where she was meeting him. You see, the three of us are all contestants playing a survival game and the last winner becomes God of Time and Space," Akise explained quietly. "Gasai-san was forced into an alliance with the Phantom Street Killer, Third, and I thought I would help her out. Not only by liberating her of the alliance, but of capturing Third, too. I don't want to kill anyone, so I thought I would hand him over to you guys. I electrocuted him by making him hit the switchboard when he was lunging for me, and he was knocked unconscious when we left. I reported him to you only ten minutes later, by then, he would still be unconscious, wouldn't he?"

"Slow down, slow down." Nishijima raised his brow, staring at him.

"Hm?" Akise stared back.

The waitress dropped off their ordered drinks, and when she asked if they were ready to order, they told her they still needed time. Gasai sipped her lemonade, watching the two in front of her. Nishijima sighed, sipping from his own drink of lemonade. Akise was staring at Nishijima, waiting for his response.

"What are you talking about?" asked Nishijima. "What survival game? Do you mean like a Battle Royale?"

"Exactly like that," Akise nodded. "but I don't think there's a way we can cheat ourselves into surviving." He narrowed his eyes. "This game is about becoming God, after all. I'm sure all of our moves are being observed by him, and possibly other contestants. I don't know who the other contestants are or their abilities, but I can't be cautious enough about any of this. I mean, my own math teacher was a holder, too. What's next? Is my next-door neighbor going to walk up to my doorstep with a bomb and say—"

"Akise-kun, you're not joking, are you?" Nishijima blinked, staring at the amaranth-eyed boy.

For the first time in their knowing each other, Nishijima saw what Akise looked like when he was distressed. Eyes defeated, Akise was raking his fingers through his hair, other hand wrapped around the cup of his lemonade, he sipped from the straw. When he pulled away, he stared at Nishijima with silent, pleading eyes; _please believe me, you're all I have, Masumi_. Akise's lips curled up to a sarcastic smile, turning away from their exchange to Gasai.

"Gasai-san, have you decided what to order?"

"Mm!" She beamed.

"And you, Nishijima?" Akise turned back to him.

"…Yeah." He replied absentmindedly, still staring at Akise, even when he called the waitress back and announced their readiness. She jotted down the first two's orders, and when it was Nishijima's turn to order…

"Sir? Sir? _Sir_?!"

"Ah, sorry!"

"What would you like?"

"Just, the number ten on page two, please." He murmured distractedly, and from his peripheral vision, he saw Akise's lips curl again. "Thankyou."

"I'll be back with your orders in no time. Sit tight." She walked away.

"So?" Akise raised his brow.

"I believe you." Nishijima cracked a small smile. "How couldn't I? You're my little brother, right?"

"…" Akise smiled back. "Thankyou, Nishijima."

"No problem."

-5-

Akise and Gasai walked out of the diner into an overcast night. His hands were in his pockets. She fidgeted with the hem of her uniform shirt. The two walked side-by-side on the sidewalk, quiet. Only a little while ago, Nishijima had dismissed himself from their explanation-dinner to arrive on call at a location that Minene Uryu had allegedly been sighted. They bid him good luck, and he was off. Now it was just the two of them on their "date".

"…Um, Akise-kun?" Gasai lifted her head from staring at the ground, turning to him.

He walked straight, head held up and gaze set into the distance they walked closer to.

"Hm?" He didn't even turn. He must have been deep in thought about something. Gasai smiled at that. She hadn't even known him that long, and to think that Akise's staring off was normal was already saying a lot about how well she understood him. Or so she thought anyway.

"…Can we hold hands?" she asked quietly.

"Ah." The request caught him off guard. He blinked, glanced at her, and then, nodded. Sliding his right hand out of his pocket, he outstretched it to her. As soon as their hands connected, he tightened his grip on her firm enough, and continued to stare straight ahead. "Gasai-san?"

"Yes, Akise-kun?"

"Can I ask why you wanted to hold hands?"

"Oh, well…" She blushed to her ears, staring down at the ground. "It's b-because..."

"It's because of what?" His voice was gentle, unassuming.

"…I wanted to feel like a couple." She said in a whispering voice.

The slightest of blush heated his face, and he laughed. He laughed softly into his opposite hand, trying to quiet himself. Even some walking strangers glanced their way, brows furrowed. Gasai blushed darker, embarrassed.

"No, no, no," He said quickly, waving the hand he'd been laughing into. "I'm not laughing at you. I'm laughing at… well, myself." She blinked, turning to him. He was smiling, relaxed. "I asked you out on a date, didn't I?" He asked without missing a beat.

"Mm." She agreed, curious.

"Ah, I've been a bad date, haven't I?" He sighed softly, self-deprecatingly. "My apologies, Gasai-san, I could have given you a better date than this, we can agree. Is there any way possible that I can make this up to you?" He stopped in his tracks, facing her and sliding both of his hands in hers. He was warm.

"…Oh Akise-kun, it's r-really…" Now she felt like her whole face was on fire.

"Hmm?" He tilted his head. "If you don't tell me, I won't ever know, Gasai-san."

"I-I…"

"You?"

"Akise-kun, w-would you pl-please w-walk m-me home, and…" She whined low in her throat, staring down. "It's _so_ embarrassing."

"No," Akise lifted her chin, staring into her eyes and smiling gently. "What is it, Gasai-san?"

"…Kiss." She murmured, feeling small.

"If that's what you want." He leaned in, and the night air grew hotter.

"Akise-kun…" She blushed, closing her eyes and meeting him halfway.

He barely, teasingly, brushed her lips with his own.

"Kiss." He smirked, pulling away.

"…" She pouted. "What kind of kiss was that?"

"A first-date kiss!" chuckled Akise, pulling her. "I'll give you more on our second date, _maybe_."

"It's a tactic to make me go out with you every time!" cried Gasai.

"Oh no, I've been found out!" He gasped, laughing.

"Akise-kunn!"

"Gasai-san~!"

Behind an alleyway wall, the two teenagers walking down the street, hand-in-hand, smiling obliviously, were overheard by the killer waiting for his chance to strike.


	6. Shock

**Acknowledgments: To Kay (Guest)** \- I'm glad to hear that you're enjoying the story so far. The interaction between them, and the other characters as well, should be engaging throughout the story. :)

**To Tris PhantomEvans** \- A few things. First off, badass name. I really like it. :) Secondly, I see you on most of my stories! Thankyou for your praise, you and your patience, seeing as how my updates are freaking irregular. I'm sorry I'm unreliable. Third, my agenda of converting you from AkiYuki to AkiYuno has been accomplished (_I like all three pairings, tbh_)! Ahahaha, I will make everyone ship AkiYuno so hard that Yunokki is buried into obscurity (_no i won't, that's presumptuous talk_). If you didn't shriek before, you'll be shrieking during Chapter 7 for sure. ;) *evil laugh*

And now, to all of my other readers, this is where Mirai Nikki: Another Paradox starts to become a little more... err, colorful. If there are also readers from Death Note: Mirai Rewrite here, you'll notice that there's a familiar snippet of Chapter 3 in this chapter, because I like to over-emphasize how forbidden Nishijima's attraction to Uryu is. Anyways, onto the story!

* * *

_Entry 6 - Shock_

**Wednesday, April 19, 2006, 12:25 AM **

"What the hell do you mean his body wasn't there?" asked Kurusu, scowling. A cigarette hung between his lips, blazing poisonous smoke that stunk and made Nishijima wince, fanning it away from himself whenever Kurusu turned his way. The two stood outside the incomplete construction site building that the incident had occurred.

"What I mean is that we arrived there, and his body was gone." Nishijima calmly explained for the second time, lips curling at the right as he glanced. Policemen were exiting the building, infuriated and drained. They were tired of false-alarms. "It was like he disappeared in thin air."

"Who reported it?" asked Kurusu.

"…" Nishijima smiled nervously.

"Was it detective-boy?" Kurusu withdrew the cigarette from his lips, blowing the air out from his lungs. It was a cloud of puffy gray smoke into the already polluted city air. His ring finger rubbed the ashes off of the butt of the cigarette, eyes side-glancing Nishijima, expecting to be answered.

"Yes, it was Akise—"

"Goddamn, Nishijima." Kurusu grumbled, pulling the cigarette back to his lips and turning away from the scene. "No wonder the killer hadn't been there. I bet he wasn't there to begin with."

"Why do you doubt him so much?" asked Nishijima, feeling defensive.

"He's a kid. It's about time that you saw him like one, too." Kurusu took one last drag from the cigarette, flicked it off, and stomped down on it like it was an insect on the pavement. "What a waste." Nishijima stared after the chief, frowning.

* * *

**Friday, April 21, 2006, 9:37 AM**

Nishijima woke with a start in the familiar whiteness and alcohol scent of a hospital room. He groaned, the pain in his gauze-wrapped abdomen returning. He lay still, eyes falling closed. He might as well sleep off the pain. Though, he should have expected her to shoot him.

_She's a terrorist… She killed Natsuko, but why didn't she kill me?_

Kurusu stormed in. Nishijima pretended to be asleep. The door had slid shut with a fearsome clatter, and Nishijima fought back all of his instincts to shudder. Kurusu leaned over his bedside and spoke darkly,

"Nishijima, I know you're awake."

"Good morning, chief!"

"You realized what happened, don't you?"

Nishijima lowered his gaze at the white sheets, nodding solemnly. Now, the gunshot wound was a dull ache compared to what the chief was about to deliver him. He braced himself for the blow, repeating a mantra in his head;_ Be a strong big brother, be a strong big brother, be a strong big brother…_

"You let her escape_ and _shoot you." Nishijima winced, screwing his eyes shut and just trying to drown it out between thoughts of_ I know, chief, I know. "_How many times, Nishijima? How many fucking times are you letting her escape and run you over? Has Natsuko's death blinded you that much?"

"Please, chief—"

"Please what? Please let you off easy, because you_ hurt_?" Kurusu leaned in closer, hissing against his ear. "She's a terrorist, Nishijima. How can you love someone that wouldn't think to ever love you back?"

"…" Nishijima's eyes widened, heart splitting to four halves, and it was the most agonizing thing the chief had said to him. He didn't care if he was belittled and he didn't care if he was beaten to his core, but to be reminded of that one possibility that… His brown eyes stung with tears and he turned away. "I'm sorry, chief."

Kurusu sarcastically laughed.

"An apology doesn't bring back the dead."

The chief walked out of the room and left Nishijima alone. Nishijima palmed his mouth, tears threatening to fall in the painful silence. He had no right to be upset. All of what happened was his fault. In the least, he had to be strong. He needed to be the hero that Akise's amaranth eyes reflected. Nishijima breathed shakily, squeezing his eyes shut and lying back. _Just sleep off the pain, Nishijima_.

Outside the hospital room, Kurusu palmed his face and the tears fell. Not too far from Nishijima's room were the glaring numbers 104, the very room that his dear son was resting in. His heart clenched. The stinging scent of alcohol suffocated him whole, and he hurriedly rushed out of the hospital, the atmosphere all too overwhelming for his act to endure.

-6-

Akise had been trying to call Nishijima since he returned from walking Gasai home and since he woke up from a four hour sleep. He couldn't reach the brunette. It was worrying him. Had something happened while he was pursuing the terrorist after all?

"Good morning, Akise-kun!"

"Good morning, Gasai-san."

They smiled at each other, sitting in their assigned seats for Math Class. The bell rang, and everyone prepared for the next substitute that they would be having. However, it wasn't a substitute that walked into the classroom. It was Hiyama in a khaki suit, scarlet hair pulled into a sleek ponytail. Akise's eyes fell open, more than surprised. Gasai stared, silent. The class seemed a little surprised, too. Hiyama leered at the two of them, before he innocently smiled at the rest of the class.

"Good morning, class. I had to miss yesterday's session, because I was feeling a little under the weather, but as you can see… I'm feeling a lot better now." He chuckled, green eyes on Akise's wide-eyed, mouth opened expression.

Sweat beaded Akise's paling face._ How could he be here? Wasn't he incapacitated? No, don't tell me that the voltage wasn't anything to him at all? It was just a stun-gun, wasn't it? I should have known! His armor is top-notch! If an electrocution didn't subdue him as long as I expected, then he did escape before Nishijima arrived at the scene. Then, that means… the only way for me to… is to…_

"Akise? Is there something wrong? You look paler than normal." Hiyama smiled, feigning concern.

_The only way is to hit his diary?! _

Akise composed himself, heaving a silent and careful sigh. The class had turned to him, curious. He smiled small, and nodded at everyone.

"I'm fine, Hiyama-sensei."

_In any case, I cannot leave Gasai-san alone with him. _

Hiyama assigned another worksheet for them to do. The class quietly started to jot down answers. Hiyama walked down the rows of desks, watchful. Akise just stared down at his paper, sweat rolling down his face and his neck. He felt Third lingering behind him, and swallowed. Hiyama leaned over him, whispering loud enough for the class to hear,

"Are you sure you're alright, Akise? Should I send you to the nurse?"

"I'm fine." Akise insisted, muttering,_ "Like hell I'm going to miss my chance to catch a killer."_

"Big words for such a little boy." whispered Hiyama quietly, amused.

Akise wanted to scowl, but he reminded himself to act calm. The more he aroused the classroom's suspicion, the more of a bad character he would look. He could try to paint Hiyama as guilty as he wanted, but no one would believe him, especially if he didn't have any physical evidence. After all, most of his classmates were sure of him as an odd case. He glanced at Gasai. She bit on the inside of her lip, glancing back and then returning to her sheet when Hiyama walked down her row. Akise stiffened, staring Hiyama down. He didn't initiate a conversation with her, Akise was relieved.

"Akise, why haven't you written anything down?" asked Hiyama when he was walking down his row again.

"I don't feel like doing it." Akise answered flatly.

"It's your assignment," Hiyama furrowed his brow. "You are to do it."

"I'm _not_ going to." Akise crossed his arms. "I think I'll nap instead."

"That's a detention."

Gasai paled at that. Akise smiled. The class glanced, but knowing better, went back to their worksheets as if the exchange hadn't happened. Akise folded his arms in front of him, laying his head down on them and closing his eyes.

_A detention? Being alone with you won't scare me, if anything, this should play out the way I anticipate it to play out. Still, checking my diary right now is a dumb move to pull, even he would know that. The only risk is not knowing if he'll attack me while we're alone or not. Either way, nothing else matters except Gasai-san. I have to keep them separated. I have to protect her. I promised._

The bell rang. Hiyama collected everyone's sheets before the class filed out, Gasai glancing back at Akise. He smiled reassuringly at her. She hesitated, but her two friends pulled her away, into the school courtyard. They would probably have lunch there, watching Shiraishi and Kosaka play basketball. A silent sigh of relief escaped him. And then, Hiyama pulled the doors to his classroom closed, and Akise was more than ready.

"Why are you here?" asked Akise, staring at him blankly.

"I'm a teacher here. Why wouldn't I be here?" Hiyama sat down on his desk, smiling easily. "Why, Akise, you seem to be very guarded. What's the matter?"

"I'm guarded, because you're a killer." Akise narrowed his eyes. "Why aren't you attacking me?"

"I won't chance it here." He furrowed his brow, smirking now. "I'm not as impatient and reckless as you must think I am. I like to wait sometimes, leave the police and my prey hanging. You should do your worksheet, _First_."

"No," The albino held the amused stare of his Math Teacher. "When are you planning to attack me then?"

"Now, if I told you, what would be the fun in that?"

"…" Akise gritted his teeth, feeling himself sweat again. Hiyama smiled.

"This is the most expressive I've seen you. I like it." He breathed the declaration all too pleasantly, and Akise wanted to sink below his chair where Hiyama wouldn't see him, wouldn't find him.

"You're insane."

"Then, I should warn you about Gasai." said Hiyama.

Akise raised his brow, still guarded and glaring at the redhead. Hiyama sat upright in his chair, folding his hands in front of him. He smiled the smile that all teachers practiced in the mirror before leaving in the mornings to start session. The smile that fooled the students that the teachers were patient, and that the students were welcomed to inquire.

"Do you know about her parents, I wonder?"

"Nice try, I've already seen the bodies, in the forbidden room."

"Ah, but do you know her other secret?"

"…What other secret?"

"Gasai isn't as innocent as you think she is, Akise." chuckled Hiyama, smirking. "The demure and shy thing she pretends to be around you? It's all an act, you know. She isn't like that, at all. At least, she wasn't with me." His tongue ran over his lips, and suddenly, Akise was feeling sick and sweatier than before.

"What are you… what are you implying?" asked Akise, wide-eyed and stock still.

"The deadliest things are the most pretty, Akise. Don't ever forget that." Hiyama stood from his chair. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to get lunch. Whether you work on your worksheet or nap in my absence, it wouldn't matter to me."

Hiyama left, and Akise just sat there, in shock, fear, and confusion as he thought and waited for the worst.

-6-

"I'm happy that you're okay, Akise-kun!" Gasai beamed upon their dismissal. It had been decided after last night's date that the two of them would walk from school together, for safety and to understand each other better. Her bright smile fell when she noticed how blank Akise looked. "A… Akise-kun?"

"I'm glad, Gasai-san." He murmured quietly, walking ahead with his hands in his pockets.

She quickly trailed after him.

"What did he say to you, Akise-kun? Did he hurt you? Akise-kun?" asked Gasai, frantic. She latched onto his arm, stopping him in his tracks. "Please tell me you're okay?!" Her cerise eyes stung with tears.

Akise turned his head, facing her. Nauseating heat spread through his body, his mouth falling open, daring himself to scream at her, to interrogate her, to relieve the bottled up and unexplained hateful feelings inside of him. Instead, he gently sighed and palmed her cheek with his free hand, caressing her into calming down with his cool touch.

"I'm fine. He scared me a little, that's all."

"…" Gasai pulled him into her arms, tightly, nearly sobbing in relief.

"G…Gasai-san!" Akise nervously smiled, laughing. "It's alright."

Students walking out of the school passed them by, glancing. They laughed themselves, whispering and grinning. Akise didn't mind the scrutiny. It was more that he minded how clingy Gasai was being. Right now, he craved solitude to register what Hiyama had told him. He didn't want to distrust Gasai, but he didn't want to snap at her, either.

"You had me worried sick, Aru Akise!" She pulled away, glaring at him. "I was going to barge in there at the last minute, and make sure he would stay dead!"

"…" Akise blinked, surprised at her sudden ferocity towards their Math Teacher.

Gasai smiled sweetly, as if she hadn't said such a scary thing at all. She slipped her warm hands into his, twining their fingers. Her cerise eyes were unwavering of their gazing of his amaranth ones, light blush on her cheeks.

"Are we going to walk home together, Akise-kun?"

Akise smiled small, feeling exhausted of the game._ If I decline, she'll be hurtful and suspicious, won't she? She switches at such unexpected times, it can be tiresome. For now, I have to be natural or who knows what she'll do if I act out of turn._

"Of course, Gasai-san. I couldn't leave a lady like yourself to walk all alone. Especially since I already know how much you'll miss me."

"Don't be so sure of yourself, Akise-kun!"

They laughed, hands connected. Akise's stomach churned, teeth wanting to grit as sweat was beading from his forehead. His silver hair obscured his panic-stricken amaranth eyes. Gasai smiled sweetly, eyes fixated in front of them. Her dilated cerise eyes were widening and swirling that delusion unbeknownst to Akise's apprehension. She giggled quietly to herself, the blackness of her eyes seeming to consume the innocence of the cerise irises, and she held Akise's hand tighter, more possessively.


	7. Feelings

_Entry 7 - Feelings_

Akise was walking to his house from walking Gasai home. The sun had lowered, leaving the former clear blue sky drowned within a mildly shining beacon of golden-yellow. The evening sky was the most beautiful part of every single day, Akise thought when he glanced up, and then began unlocking his front door. Thankfully and regretfully, he was alone now and he could think, but at the same time, he was concerned of being home alone.

His stomach wouldn't stop churning; the sweat wouldn't stop running from his too warm, pale face; and he was ill. It was all in his head, he knew. It was just because he was confused. He didn't know what to believe or who to believe. He felt so lightheaded, so feeble. Akise pushed the door open, and slammed it shut once he was inside, heaving a shaky, deep sigh to calm his racing heart and himself down.

That was when his phone rang.

"Hello?"

_"-Akise, it's the chief."_

"It's not like you to be calling me." Akise's lips curled slightly. "To what do I owe the occasion, chief-san?"

_"-You know me and how I hate to let you down, but I can't play around with you today, Akise. I'm calling, because I thought you should know."_

"Thought I should know what?"

_"-Nishijima has been hospitalized."_

"…"

-7-

Nishijima winced. Akise stood at his bedside, face shadowed. He came, bursting in, and interrogating Nishijima too many questions at once, all in an incomprehensible haste. Nishijima explained his tailing of Minene Uryu, and now, Akise fell silent. He bit the inside of his lip, expecting another blow from Akise. He barely handled the chief's words, but if Akise said anything like _that_, he knew he would break.

Nishijima knew that he was setting up a bad example for Akise the way things were going between him and Uryu, but how could he control his feelings? Did one control how they fell in love and who it would be with? The way Nishijima experienced it, it was a helpless, almost hopeless feeling that left his heart racing and his insides fluttering, almost tepid of the heartache soon to follow the fall. With Natsuko, he'd been curious and he'd been infatuated by the quiet, bookworm co-worker that she was. She was inspired to become a detective by growing up reading Agatha Christie books, and there had also been serial killings and ambushes from where she grew up. Just outside of Sakurami in a small town called Tyrou. She had explained to him that it was a fishing town, and they lived off of the fishermen's success out on seas.

They'd gone on dates, too. Nishijima took her out to low-key places at first, and took it up a notch afterwards. From cafés and diners to well-recepted movie theatres and upscale restaurants. She knew that Nishijima had grown up fatherless, and all of his experiences were pretty much secondhand. He was the average teenage boy of his time, watching television twenty-four-seven and feeling like he was the main character of his own scene when his life was utterly uneventful. The most interesting thing that had happened to him in his life before was learning why he had no father to begin with. And it was the simplicity of his life that led him into considering criminal investigation as a profession for his future, and here he was, lying in bed, bandaged, because he allowed a terrorist he fell for to shoot him _and _escape for what felt like the umpteenth time for Kurusu.

It was bad. Kurusu was starting to suspect Nishijima of being Uryu's bystander, but the two of them knew that deep down Uryu didn't roll that way; she was that type of person that absolutely detested partnership, and she wanted everything done the right way - in her own hands. What Nishijima felt for purple-haired, bespectacled Natsuko wasn't love. It was curiosity and a mild crush he had. What he felt for Uryu was stronger. He knew for sure that it was, because (_it wasn't an exaggeration_) the moment he locked eyes on her for the very first time, his knees were weak and his heart was racing. It didn't stop there. As soon as that first encounter had happened, Nishijima couldn't stop seeing Uryu in his dreams and in his waking moments. He imagined her here, he imagined her there, he imagined Minene Uryu everywhere, and it just drove him deeper in love with her.

Call him crazy, but learning about her regretful past? Losing both of her parents to a religious group in the Middle East and cruelly orphaned in foreign streets to fend for herself? His heart clenched, even now, it was painful for him to place himself in her shoes, imagining what it must have been like to live like that day-by-day in the glaring sun and unforgiving people around her as she struggled to survive. He hesitated capturing her, because her past, her person, everything about her captivated him – it inclined him to protect her. But he knew Minene Uryu than she probably thought he did.

"You idiot…" Akise breathed, flinging himself on Nishijima gently to not stress his wounded abdomen. "What if she killed you? Then, what? How would you expect me to go on, Masumi?"

"Don't talk like that, Aru-chan," Nishijima frowned, cradling the back of Akise's head against his chest; _he is still just a boy_. "What matters is that she didn't."

"I suppose, but still…" Akise mumbled against his chest, adding. "Do you have any idea how scared I am, Masumi?"

Nishijima pulled Akise closer. Akise's hands were clutching at the fabric of the hospital gown from where they were wrapped around Nishijima's middle. He noticed Akise's hands shaking.

"…Did something happen?"

"Masumi… he's at the school." whispered Akise. "Third, the Phantom Street Killer… he's back in the school and he's going to kill me. And Gasai-san… I don't know her. I was stupid to let my guard down in front of her when she used to be in an alliance with him…"

"Aru-chan," Nishijima lifted his chin, making them face. "it's going to be okay."

"You don't know that." Akise gritted his teeth, shaking harder. "What am I supposed to do? My parents are on their business trip, and I'm home alone… What if he knows where I live, Masumi? And he's going to kill me this weekend?"

"I would _never_ let anything happen to you!" Nishijima shouted, and Akise blinked.

Nishijima pulled him back into his arms, hugging him firmly, even though he was aching again from the wound. Akise squeezed his eyes closed, hugging him back. They held each other in silence for awhile, before Nishijima was speaking again.

"You're my little brother, and nothing would stop me from protecting you. Not even a bullet wound."

"But Masumi…"

"But nothing," Nishjima pulled away to look at the albino's unconvinced face. "Tell me you're going to be okay."

"…" Akise hesitated, but at Nishijima's expectant stare, he resigned, "I'm… I'm going to be okay."

"Good. Now, do as I say, Aru-chan."

Akise didn't bike back home. He called a cab and had his bike put in the trunk. In case he was being followed, the cab drove him around the city, outside for two miles, and drove back in to drop him off at his house. By then, it was nightfall. He took his bike out of the trunk and walked in. He closed and locked up every door and window, pulling the curtains over all of the windows. After putting his bike away in the basement, he sat on the living room couch and called Nishijima. Nishijima answered on the first ring.

_"-Did you take the cab around and back?"_

"Yes, Masumi…"

_"-Did you close and lock everything like I told you, too?"_

"Yes, Masumi…"

_"-Are you in the living room?"_

"Yes. Would it be safer if I stayed in here or in my room?"

_"-Where do you feel safest?"_

"Just don't stop talking to me, please?"

_"-I wouldn't dare, Aru-chan."_

"Thankyou…"

_"-Want me to tell you a story?"_

"Yes, please."

_"-Which one do you want me to tell you? I could tell you the one about the Rock That Went Everywhere, the Boy and his Rocking Horse – Oh! Or the one about the Princess and the Warlock."_

"Anything…" Akise's eyes fluttered. He curled up on the couch, feeling like a little boy again. He imagined himself as nine, curled up, snug, on teenage Nishijima's lap with his fingers carding through his silver hair and the warmth shared between them. And, Nishijima's voice as he gently cooed him until he fell asleep.

_"-It was on a winter night that…" _Akise sleepily smiled, and listened until he fell asleep on the couch.

Akise woke with a start to the vibrating of his phone. He sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and checking his phone. It was five text messages from Gasai. Akise sighed, reading through them. And when he read the last one, she sent him another one.

**9:52 AM: Akise-kun? Are you awake**?

He swallowed, feeling his nervousness in the pit of his stomach. There was no way that Gasai would set him up to be killed by Hiyama, for two very reasons that Akise was certain. One, after all the trouble he had put into liberating her in the first place, why would she think to kill him in the hands of the person that had blackmailed her? He couldn't say that she had had an ulterior motive for her to do such a thing, because it was too unlikely, even for Yuno Gasai. Secondly, Akise thought for sure that she wouldn't set him up, because from yesterday, she did seem to worry about leaving him alone with Hiyama and she did act out of "innocent character" to get the point across. There wasn't a way or any kind of proof that Gasai would bargain Akise for her own life, unless she wanted to kill him herself, but even suspecting that very scenario left him unsatisfied. It left him unsatisfied in the sense that it didn't make any sense.

If he was being honest with himself, all of his panic was uncalled for and all of his prosecuting thoughts and suspicions were all unreasonable unease from a cynic. Yes, it was a survival game, but if Gasai wasn't acting defensively towards him, then he shouldn't act defensively towards her either, right? He just needed to let himself trust her if she trusted him. Anyway, how did he know if any of Hiyama's words were true? It was like Nishijima said, everything would be okay. Akise sighed, shaking his head at himself, and he laughed, clapping his palm to his face; _how out of character of me. _

**9:54 AM: Sorry, Gasai-san. I just woke up. What's up?**

**9:55 AM: I wanted to ask you if you wanted to come to the movies with me! :) **

**9:55 AM: And see what?**

The movie that Gasai wanted to watch started at eleven-ten, and so, the two of them agreed that they could meet there. They met outside of the movie theatre at ten-twenty-one and decided to take a walk around to pass a little more time. Akise held her hand as they walked, and they glanced into shop windows out of curiosity. They looked into the pet store and a few kittens drew Gasai's attention.

"They're _so_ cute!" She cried, eyes gleaming into the shape of hearts.

Akise chuckled.

"If you want my opinion, the cutest one is the blue-eyed one."

"…You're right." Gasai stared over at the lonesome kitten in the corner. The kitten was black-and-brown furred with striking blue eyes. The kitten glanced at them, and then turned back to staring off. For some reason, staring at that kitten left the both of them… wistful. "It's too bad I'm not allowed to have pets." She pouted.

"We can come back after the movie?" Akise offered as they were walking back to the movie theatre.

Gasai laughed.

"No, it's okay."

"Are you sure? I wouldn't mind keeping the cat for the two of us if it made you happy."

"…" She blinked, blushing.

Akise didn't turn to her until he realized that she'd stopped in her tracks at his words. He raised his brow, tilting his head at her. She was staring at him, colored as pink as her hair, and smiling sweetly, eyes a little wet.

"Has anyone ever told you that you're too nice, Akise-kun?"

"Not really."

"You're too nice."

"Now I've heard it."

Their auditorium wasn't as crowded as they expected it to be. They were surprised, especially since the movie they were watching _The Girl Who Leapt Through Time _was heavily advertised and acclaimed by note-worthy movie critics within and outside of the country. They sat in the first row of the platform with stairs, agreeing that neither wanted to be too close to the screen. Between them was a bucket of popcorn, and occasionally as the movie progressed, the two of them would snack on it. However, they dug their hands within the bucket at the same time. Akise grinned, heaving a small laugh. Gasai smiled shyly, staring at his face.

"What?" He whispered.

"…Akise-kun," She blushed, glancing down and then, back up at his face. "I would go back in time a thousand times to see you again."

"…" It was Akise's turn to blink, but then, he grabbed a piece of popcorn and flicked it at her face, saying, "Too romantic for me."

"You jerk!"

They walked out of the auditorium, smiling and holding each other's hand. It had been a pretty good movie as the reviews had said. Gasai loved it a lot more than he did, but then, it did seem a lot more shoujo than it did shounen. Even if it was shounen, Akise had never been an anime-goer or read much of any manga like most of his demographic did. He spent most of his childhood outside with his mother, helping her plant her flowers in their small garden on the lawn or snooping about for a case to solve if Nishijima wasn't taking him out someplace. He was an outdoorsy guy, always had been (_and always will be_). Why be stuck inside of the house all day, looking at panels of drawings with bubbles of text or looking at the screen of the television, when you could be outside and feel the breeze ruffle you up on your way to an adventure?

"So, do you want to go back and see the kitten?" asked Akise.

"...Would you really do that for me?" Gasai blushed, staring down at the ground.

"Yes, yes I would." He said, full of certainty. "And I'd happily take care of it for you, too."

"Thankyou..."

"Don't sweat it. We better hurry, Gasai-san, or someone else will get to the kitten first!" Akise pulled away and made to run over to the pet shop when Gasai said something.

"Yuno."

"...Hmm?" He turned back to her, blinking and tilting his head.

"Call me Yuno, and... can I call you... Aru?"

"Yes, yes you can, Yuno."

"I'm glad."

"Me, too."


	8. Danger

_Entry 8 - Danger _

Akise had purchased the blue-eyed kitten after all. Yuno and he agreed the name for the kitten should be "Yuka", since the kitten was female and something about that name brought a smile to Yuno's face. Akise would ask her about it later. After their purchase, the kitten underwent the procedures of preparation; they were given all they needed to take care of her; and then, they had walked to Akise's house where they were now.

Yuno was in the kitchen, making them lunch. The simmering wafted into the separate, neighboring dining room that Akise and Yuka were in. He was setting up Yuka's food and water bowl, carefully pouring her cat food into the bowl. Yuka meowed, staring up at him with her blue eyes. Around her neck was a plain blue collar to match her eyes, and it had her name on the silver, heart-shaped tag (_Yuno's picking_). Akise just laughed and smiled; _how cute are you, hm._

"It's ready, Aru-kun!"

"Okay, Yuno. Do you need help setting the table?"

"Yes, please!"

They sat opposite of each other, Yuka wandering underneath the table and lying on whomever's feet that she felt like, tired and stomach full. The silence between them was comfortable, peaceful. It was the first time in a very long time that Akise was eating a home-cooked meal, too, and he was really happy about it. The food just melted in his mouth, the proper taste filling his mouth at the aftermath of the melting. Yuno's cooking was more than good, it was _delicious_, and it did bring a smile to his face.

He stood from his chair, carried his emptied dishes from the table to the sink, and returned to his seat, after gratefully pecking Yuno's hair. She blushed, smiling at him. He smiled back at her, folding his arms in front of him and setting his chin down on them.

"…Oh, Aru-kun," Yuno blushed brighter, absentmindedly playing with her food. "It's already like we're m-married, don't you th-think? I'm c-cooking for you in o-our h-house and Yuka is l-like our ch-child."

"…" Akise laughed jubilantly into his hand for awhile. Yuno blushed more, staring down at her lap. He quickly recovered from his laughing fit that left his face flushed, smiling gently. "Hey, I'm not laughing at you, okay? I guess I'm laughing, because…"

"But you always laugh." Yuno pouted.

"Well, I'm laughing because I don't know what to say." Akise grinned crookedly, embarrassed in his own way.

"Really?" Yuno tilted her head, blinking; _has he never dated?_

"Yes."

"You're my first, too…" Yuno admitted, blushing to her ears when holding his stare.

"I can't be." Akise shook his head, incredulous. "Someone like _you_? You had to have at least five boyfriends, and that's the minimum."

"That's mean." Yuno pouted again, frowning when she added in a quieter voice, "Mama _never _let me date…"

Wordlessly, Akise reached over and held her hand in his, softening his stare. Yuno shakily held his hand tighter, tears stinging her eyes. As if sensing the shift in the mood, Yuka hopped onto Yuno's lap, nuzzled her stomach, and meowed. Yuno and Akise simultaneously laughed at that. He grinned. She smiled, petting Yuka's fluffy head.

"See? She's looking out for you, too."

"I'm glad… Um, hey, Aru-kun?"

"Hm?"

"You won't leave me, will you?"

"No, I won't, Yuno."

-8-

Akise found himself back in Hiyama's classroom, stuck for another detention because he refused to stay awake during his new lesson. It was more or less becoming a normalcy for the two of them. He pressed the heel of his palm against his chin, staring out the window. Over the weekend that had passed without a second thought, Yuno and he planned out how they would manipulate Hiyama into pulling his diary out accidently, but they turned up without many desired results from their practicing. If neither of them knew when he was going to strike, then they had no chance, at all. Well, they had no chance in being all ready when he did choose to strike, but that didn't mean they weren't prepared for the moment to come.

Behind Yuno's back, Akise had continued planning. He didn't only plan for the possibility if Third decided to strike, but he also planned for the infiltration of another diary holder. He couldn't cancel out the other nine holders from the scenario. There was always that dreadful possibility that they would involve themselves at the most inconvenient of times, and Akise needed to be ready for that. He preferred to be safe than sorry.

For now, he sat tight in his chair, waiting for Hiyama to return from getting his lunch. Out the window, he saw Yuno sitting with her two friends, Mao and Hinata, and Shiraishi and Kosaka were sitting with them for once. Yuno was smiling small as she ate from her bento, talking to them about something trivial that made Mao smile and Hinata crease her brow. Shiraishi and Kosaka were just awkwardly sitting there, rolling the basketball back and forth in their boredom.

He wished he could have sat with them, but he needed to win the competition between Hiyama and himself. He wanted to sink under Hiyama's flesh the way the Phantom Street Killer had done so effortlessly that Friday, leaving Akise sweating and nervous for the future. Akise wouldn't let himself be scared by Hiyama's antics, and he wouldn't stop his cycle of isolating himself with the Math Teacher until he at least succeeded into scaring him.

Outside, the group of five sat by the basketball court on the grass, eating their lunch.

"Have you noticed lately?" asked Mao.

The four raised their brows at her.

"Hiyama-sensei has been keeping Akise-kun in his classroom a lot lately. Do you think he has some grudge against him? Or what if…" Her face colored, nose trickling the slightest of blood. "Th-there's something going on between them?"

"Mao, don't be a pervert." Hinata pouted, nudging her purple-haired friend with the sailor cap.

"You're gross." Kosaka made a face. "You know that being a fujoshi will keep you single for life, right?"

"Says the guy who's never had a girlfriend in his entire life!" blurted Mao.

"_Burned_." whispered Shiraishi into his palm.

Kosaka's brown eyes narrowed to slits, his lips straightened, and he elbowed Shiraishi hard in the stomach.

"Shut the fuck up, man!"

"_Ugggh_…" Shiraishi clutched to his stomach, paling and leaning over.

Mao palmed her mouth. Hinata nervously laughed, asking if he was okay. Kosaka crossed his arms and turned his head another way, displeased. Yuno frowned, staring down at the grass as she worried about Akise, being left alone with Hiyama.

She thought about what her alliance had been like with him. It had started only a few weeks prior to the start of the survival game. He had come up to her, asking about her parents and how she was doing. He had said that she was acting very strange lately in his classroom, and that he would help her in any way he could if there were any problems.

Yuno caved into pressure. She didn't hold it in. She was scared, she was alone, and she needed guidance to get through the day. Yuno was more than used to her mother's heavy restrictions on her, and with her disgruntled, accusative voice forever silenced, Yuno was left in the darkness of her own grave mistake, and she had absolutely no one. Even if she spared her father's life, he would have continued to be absent from her life or he would have turned her in to the authorities where she be locked up for the rest of her miserable life.

Hiyama welcomed her with open arms and much more than she needed. He gave, but he also took away. Yuno's face shadowed, involuntarily breaking her chopsticks in half. He'd taught her how to fight, how to kill, and how to clean up after her messes. As the Third with the Killer Diary, he was the ultimate of how-to-murder, a walking handbook of it. He made her into what she was today, a silent and secretive killing machine that even Akise wouldn't want anything to do with. It was easier pretending to be otherwise.

She killed her parents, because she felt unwanted, but she later understood that killing other people, as the murderer, made you unwanted by millions more. The whole world would have hated her. Everyone and anyone that she knew and that she didn't know would hate her without knowing why she had done it. She couldn't stomach that kind of future, and that's why she cracked and confessed to Hiyama, giving herself up to him.

He'd been too kind to her. He was attentive and careful with her. He lent an ear when she needed to talk, crying and sobbing. Hiyama would pull her into his strong arms, warm her up with his heat and he would whisper nothings into her pink hair. He made her feel wanted without ever really saying anything. It was just how he treated her. It had been paternal at first, but then, as their killing escapades continued and continued, Yuno realized how wrong she was.

She contemplated turning herself in, committing suicide, or even telling anyone, someone what she was going through, what she would go through the next day. She didn't, because she met Aru Akise that next day. He looked at her face first and smiled at her. Her heart had fluttered and her cheeks heated. She didn't understand it at first, but the more she saw him, the more she kind of figured it out on her own.

He was looking at _her_. He wasn't like the other boys, she could tell. All of the other boys in the school stared at other places besides her face and cared about smaller, pointless things, and he was out for bigger. Nothing mattered but his dream, and Yuno both admired and envied him for that. She had no dream, at least, not until now.

Her dream was to become Akise's wife and live a happy life with him in a beautiful house with two children, a daughter and a son, and they would spend every waking moment of their lives together in bliss, before Akise left for work and the children for school. Yuno would contentedly clean up after their leaves, and she wouldn't second think it at all. Yet at the same time, the fear and the insecurity inside of her stopped her from falling any further for him than she already had.

He didn't know her completely, and if he pulled her covers off of her and saw what she was really like, would he still love her? If he knew the full story of what had happened to her, would he still _want _her? Would he want anything to do with her?

The heated feelings that she had felt towards him, which were scarce lately, served to confirm her suspicions of that. Maybe she was being unreasonable, but what if they had gone through this before? What if she had fallen for him in these exact circumstances, and thoughtlessly, she let herself believe that he would love her no matter what, until he did find out the truth and leave her. Was that the reason for these bitter, cruel feelings that would stir inside of her at those occasional times? Or was it for a different reason?

"Yunocchi, are you okay?" Hinata frowned. "You seem a little…"

"Yeah," Shiraishi picked his head up, leaning back, frowning. "Something wrong?"

Mao bit the inside of her lip, tilting her head. Kosaka raised his brow, staring over at her. Yuno lifted her head, beaming at them and nodding once.

"Mm! I'm good. Thanks for asking, you guys. I'm sorry for worrying you."

"Psch, I wasn't worried or anything," Kosaka crossed his arms, staring away. "I don't care."

Mao's and Hinata's lips curled. Shiraishi snickered, punching Kosaka's shoulder.

"Hey, that's Akise's girl." Shiraishi whispered to Kosaka a little too loudly.

"What do I care?" asked Kosaka, annoyed.

Hinata and Mao giggled, Yuno just smiled.

-8-

"Excuse me."

"Mm?" Akise turned away from the window to the ajar classroom entrance that Hiyama had left through to fetch his lunch. Standing there was a tanned girl with wildly styled dark purple hair in a frilly-sleeved Lolita outfit. Fashion these days, huh?

"This is Hiyama Takao's classroom, correct?" She asked flatly.

"Yes, it is." He tilted his head. Something about the girl was suspicious. He couldn't put his finger on it, but for some reason, alarm bells were ringing in his head. He needed to be careful around her. "Can I ask why you would need to be in Hiyama-sensei's classroom? I'm only asking out of sincere curiosity, of course."

Her blank face wavered into an agitated scowl for a second, and then, it was gone as soon as it was there. She was processing his question, thinking of an answer that wouldn't make her suspicious. _Come to think of it, her voice is familiar._

"I wanted to ask him a question about some homework I had." She replied coolly. "What are you doing in here?"

"I have detention." Akise smiled at her. "Will you come back later, then?"

"Nah, I'll wait here with you." said the girl, walking over frivolously and sitting down beside him.

And that was when Akise's diary sounded. He muffled it as best as he could by crossing his legs underneath the desk, holding his smile. Though, nothing he could have done would have deterred the girl's sharp ears.

"What was that sound just now?" She narrowed her amethyst eyes.

"My ringtone." He replied without missing a beat.

"Why would that be your ringtone?"

"Well, you could say I have interesting taste."

"Or I could say you're a holder. You're First, aren't you?"

"Ninth-san, it's nice to meet you." Akise grinned, outstretching his hand.

Ninth smirked through shark-like canines at him, Akise still grinned at her. His hand didn't tremble in the amount of time he had it outstretched to her, waiting for her to shake it. Instead of shaking it, she closed her hand on his and yanked him upright when she stood from the desk. Her eyes were wild in their gazing of him.

"You'll be my bargaining chip, First!"

"Ah... pardon me?" He stared at her, genuinely taken aback.

"You heard me!" She dragged him off. "If you try to retaliate, I'll just start blowing the place up right now—"

Akise pressed a button on his phone.

"What did you do?" She glanced at him when she heard a "ding" from his cell phone.

He smiled innocently, and then, there were sirens that began to ring throughout the school halls.

"If you don't want to be apprehended, we better get away~."

"What the fuck did you do?"

"I thought something like this might happen, Ninth-san. I had an email ready to send to the school board, in case it did happen—"

She angrily screeched, yanking him away again as she sped down the halls, glancing. _This little shit, I know what's he's up to! He's trying to put me under pressure for the sake of revealing my diary abilities to him! And in that way, he wants to use me to his advantage! Like hell you'll get the best of me. I am terrorist, Minene Uryu, you_-

"I think I know who you are."

"I'm sure you do."

"You're Minene Uryu, aren't you? The terrorist? You mentioned "blowing the place up", insinuating you are in possession of bombs, and being a terrorist, that's a—"

"Shut up, you're pissing me off." Could he read minds or something, or was he predicting her accurately enough that she just played in the palm of his hand? Wait, wasn't he supposed to be the bargaining chip here? Minene seethed, ignoring how he was smiling without a care in the world, looking like he'd been asked to prom by the hottest chick in school. Not that Minene had ever seen such a scenario, but she was only guessing, because guessing was one of the many things she was good at, besides planting bombs and setting them off, that is.

-8-

At the ringing of the school sirens, every student outside of the school was sent inside for the urgent lockdown. The group of five had elicited their sounds of surprise, scrambling inside, forgetting their belongings in the desperation to be in hands of safety. Kosaka raced ahead. Shiraishi narrowed his eyes, jogging behind the girls. Mao and Hinata held hands tightly, fearing for their lives. Yuno's heart raced in her chest, eyes wide. Was Akise okay? Why did she have a bad feeling? She wavered between fear and sudden bloodlust.

They were the last to come inside. The doors slammed shut, locked, and they were guided into a classroom by two teachers, instructing them to crouch and make as much room as possible for each other. They complied silently. The two teachers slid all of the exits and entrances into the class shut and crouched behind the desk. Mao and Hinata hugged Yuno sandwiched in between them, whining underneath their breath. Kosaka glanced about. Shiraishi sat in silence, waiting. And the terror increased tenfold when a voice through the school intercoms said,

"-_Attention all of you miserable students and teachers of Sakurami Middle School, I, Minene Uryu, have taken control of the school. Motion-sensor bombs have been planted throughout the school, don't leave your hiding places if you don't want to die. The entire student body of Sakurami Middle School is my hostage, and so is your principal. Say hello!_"

_"-Everyone, please stay calm and stay still! We'll get this sorted out soon enough, I promise you—"_

There was a resounding bang from a gun's trigger being pulled, the nauseating spatter of blood, and everyone was screaming. Yuno squeezed her eyes shut, wrapping her arms around her own head to drown out everyone's panic, lest it contaminate her. Mao's eyes stung with tears, lips quivering. Hinata gritted her teeth, hands shaking from where they embraced Yuno and Mao. Kosaka sat there, wide-eyed and mouth agape. Shiraishi cursed under his breath, angry, his hands balling into shaking fists.

_"-Ugh, empty promises make me sick. Oi, oi, student body, don't be so down. On the bright side, your principal has… err, taken a vacation."_

_"-You know, you still didn't have to shoot him. I liked him enough. By the way, that was a cruel joke."_

No matter how hard Yuno pressed her hands to her ears, nothing would have drowned out that voice. Her eyes widened, heart racing and skin crawling as the sweat was beading from her face. No, no, no, that couldn't be…

_"-I didn't give you permission to talk!"_

_"-Everyone, this is Akise Aru speaking. As Fujikawa-sama was saying, please remain calm and sit tight wherever you are. That's all I will say for now."_

_"-I have one demand that must be met in an hour, maximum, or else I will blow this kid's head off next."_

Yuno started trembling. Not in fear, in anger and revulsion. _What does that bitch think she's proposing? How dare she threaten Akise's life so simply? _Yuno gnashed her teeth, the whites of her eyes sinking within her irises as her pupils dilated and her hands clenched to fists._ I'll fucking kill her!_

_"-Bring me Takao Hiyama. I'll set the motion-sensor bombs on pause for this occasion. Again, if my demand isn't met in an hour, this boy is dead meat."_

The intercom went silent. Yuno gave it three minutes, and she stood up, racing out. Everyone stared after her, shocked and silent. It was her turn to protect Akise now.

-8-

Akise sat in the principal's office, bound to a chair by rope. He stared around, nonchalant and unabashed by the situation he was in. His indifference was really pissing Minene off. She sat in the principal's overstuffed chair, gritting her teeth and scowling at his smiling face. _How could this idiot be smiling when he's most likely about to have his head blown off?_

The principal's dead body was on the carpeting, forgotten and trickling blood from the bullet wound in his head. Akise sighed softly, leaning back, as if trying to be as comfortable as possible. He shifted in his bindings, furrowing a brow in concentration. Immediately, Minene raised her gun and pointed it at him.

"Are you trying to escape?" She asked.

"Uryu-san, I think you tied me too tightly." He pouted. "I can't move in this! Could you please loosen it a little? I feel like I'll suffocate at any moment—"

"Do you realize what situation you are in right now?!" She raised her voice, scowling. "You are my hostage! For a second, what makes you think comfort would be the number one priority on my list for a hostage?"

"A useful death?" Akise wiggled his brows.

"…Eh?"

"Uryu-san, I have a friend that loves you dearly," He said, staring at her seriously now. "So that's why I wouldn't want to trap you in a situation where you would die or be horribly injured."

"What are you talking about? You're tied up! I don't think you should be talking big when you're—"

"Uryu-san!" Akise glared. "Listen to me and listen closely, or you will die."

Minene gritted her teeth, tightening her grip on the gun.

"Watch the way you talk to me—"

"Taking me hostage was a bad move, and now that you've announced it, your fate is sealed. I can see that my warning will fall on deaf ears, so I won't bother warning you anymore. All I'll say is, it's not too late to free me and escape, Uryu-san."

And the moment he said those words, their diaries simultaneously sounded the change of the future.


	9. Survive! Day Two

**Acknowledgment: **To** Wings Through Skies - **Thank you so much, I do my best to be very detailed. :) I honestly think that AkiYuno is underrated, and because of the dreadful play-out in Episode 25, a lot of people see it as a crack shipping, but it has way more potential than that! I don't think you'll be disappointed in how it plays out, but my "action-writing" is a little sloppy, so not everyone will enjoy it. xD

Oh my Deus, this is the longest chapter in the entire fic so far. It took so long for me to update because of that, but I'm so happy that you guys patiently wait for me to update. It means a lot. :) Enjoy, and if you have any constructive criticism or any errors you want to report, please feel free to do so!

* * *

_Entry 9 - Survive! Day Two_

"…" Akise stared at her intently.

Minene gritted her teeth again. She didn't want to check her diary, but she also didn't want to skip out not knowing the change of her future. Lowering her gun, she turned away and carefully, slowly, drew her diary out. The long list of escape routes she had previously were still listed on the screen of her orange flip phone, but there was also something else. That something else was the ominous and pair of glaring words beside the date and time of the entry that left her face sweating and her amethyst eyes wide.

**April 24, 2006: 1:47 PM: DEAD END**

_What? Why does it say that it's a dead-end for me in only forty-four minutes from now? No way… this kid is all-talk! He couldn't be serious! And there's no way he has any kind of upper hand over me! He's tied up! _

She turned back to him, scowling.

"What the fuck did you do this time, you little shit?"

"I didn't do anything." Akise blinked, surprised. "All I did was send off that email to alarm the faculty, and that was that. Or did you mean by my prying in the announcement? It's as I already told you, Uryu-san. Announcing me as your second hostage was a bad move, because now, there is no doubt you're to be killed or injured."

"What the fuck do you mean by that?!" She screamed, throwing her hands in the air.

_What the fuck is wrong with me? I'm losing my cool over _this_?! How do I even know he isn't messing with me for the hell of it? He looks like the type of freak into mind games. Oh, I'm going to fucking…_

"All you want is Takao Hiyama?" He asked, furrowing his brows and curling his lip down. "I don't believe that's your only intention, Uryu-san. However, If I agree with your intentions, I might decide to help you and let you off easy. If I don't agree with your intentions, however…" He smiled now. "I'll let it happen. So, what do you think? Deal or no deal?"

Sweat rolled down her tanned, scowling face, but an idea came. She fought back the smirk that curled on her lips inside of her head, triumphant. _Hey, hey, this could turn out in my favor after all. If he helps me clear the dead end, not only will I have him under my aid, but also under my control. I still call the shots on the bombs, he hasn't taken that from me. I can spoon-feed him some gallant shit that even an idiot like him will buy! This is turning out better than I expected._

"There's another holder in the area I want to clear," said Minene, crossing her arms. "Since it's none of your business and it is between the two of us, I won't go into too much detail, but I want to lure them into this trap, too. If I can get Third and that other holder crossed off of my to-bomb-list, I'll leave this school peacefully. What do you say?"

"Hmm, I suppose I could help you out, then, Uryu-san." Akise smiled, heaving a little laugh;_ Oh, Uryu-san, do you underestimate me so much? You're up to something, aren't you? I'll play along, though. _"Could you untie me, too? I mean it, I feel like my air is being cut short—"

"Like hell I'm letting you completely loose!" She snarled.

"Even just a little, Uryu-san~? We're in an alliance now, aren't we?"

"You aren't cute or anything!" barked Minene, angry and flushed.

Akise fought back his amused smirk. Muttering under her breath, Minene undid the ropes that bound him to the chair and instead fastened ropes around his wrists, like makeshift and coarse handcuffs. He sighed, attempting a shrug; _Better this than nothing at all, I suppose_. She shoved him back down onto the chair when he went to stand, and he sighed again.

"You're my hostage, or did you forget?"

"I didn't forget, Uryu-san. How long before the other holder shows up, do you think?"

"They'll come."

"Mm." He knew that was all that he was getting. Akise's life was on the line, but he wasn't afraid. He smiled to himself, flicking his eyes closed as he leaned his head back, squirming into a comfortable position suited for him. It was a survival game, and if he died, it wouldn't be much of a loss to him. After all, he didn't want to be god in the first place. His only concern was Yuno.

If he died, he knew that she would possibly crack and wouldn't know what to do, or would she? He wasn't too sure, but what Hiyama had said to him Friday alarmed him. He wanted to think that he knew Yuno, but he knew the truth. The truth was that he didn't.

Akise didn't even know the reason behind her parents' murder, yet couldn't find it in his heart to succumb to the heated feelings inside of him that were directed to her, because… because he…

He opened his amaranth eyes right as the door was burst open with a fire extinguisher.

-9-

Yuno ran down halls and halls of the school building, face rolling down beads of sweat and flushed red. Her chest burned, but she needed to find Hiyama. She needed to save Akise's life. She already checked most of the buildings already and still couldn't find any trace of Hiyama. Had he really disappeared? Or was he hiding, hoping to escape the confrontation with Ninth? She smirked at the thought, believing he would.

Hiyama was an ordinary person without his armor, exposed and vulnerable. In that armor, even the terrorist Minene Uryu wasn't a threat to him. He was invincible. And the only way to kill him was to aim for his diary, Akise and her had realized a bit too late. Now, because they hadn't killed him, the price of their mistake would cost them. And it would possibly cost them their lives. Yuno didn't like it. When she came to the teacher's lounge, she flung the door open. The forbidden teacher's lounge was a cozy little kitchen with four dining tables and four chairs per table. It was scarce. She didn't find any trace of Hiyama, at all. Gritting her teeth, Yuno glanced all over the room. No, he wasn't there at all. Yuno had no idea how long it would take for him to come back, and like hell she was going to sit and wait with Akise's life on the line.

She screamed, livid, running out of the room and towards the principal's office. She twisted the knob, but it wouldn't budge. It was locked. Her dilated and swirling cerise eyes fell upon the glass encased fire extinguisher. A deadly glower twisted itself on her pretty face as she smashed the glass through a single kick and latched onto the extinguisher, smashing the door open with it. It gave way, and Minene had laughed at her audacity.

"What do you think you're doing—"

"I should be asking you that question, you bitch!" cried Yuno, "How dare you threaten to take Akise's life from me?! I'll fucking kill you—"

"You little shit! You didn't tell me about her!" Minene shouted over the rest of her sentence, pulling Akise in front of her and holding the gun to his head.

Akise didn't struggle, instead he smiled and said,

"But I did, Uryu-san. You refused to listen to me when I was telling you, is it ringing any bells?"

"…Why you…" Minene gritted her teeth, pressing the gun harder against his head.

When he groaned, Yuno's eyes seemed to darken, if anymore possible. Her lips quivered, cheeks flushing and the hands that held the fire extinguisher were shaking. Was that the secret Hiyama was talking about? Akise stared at her, blinking. Was there something truly venomous coursing inside of Yuno Gasai, inclining her to behave as a killer? Was she not all that different than Hiyama? Not all different than the criminals that Akise read stories of?

"You're hurting him!" Yuno lunged over, but Minene staggered backwards into the window behind the principal's desk and threw herself out, smashing the glass, and dragging Akise with her. "_Akise_!" Akise struggled in Minene's embrace, but to no avail. _"AKISE!" _Yuno considered jumping out after them, hands shaking harder in her anger.

"Don't think about it!" said Minene, as if reading her mind and setting off the other side of the schooling building. There were no screams. The occupants were instantaneously dead, crisped to blackened remains in the fire and smoke that claimed their unwilling, short lives. Yuno stared at the burning school building, wide-eyed and lips quivering. That wasn't the look of a killer. That was the look of mournful guilt. Akise shared it with her.

"Uryu-san, you…" Akise trailed off, staring at the building in his own shock.

Minene landed on her feet, running and dragging Akise with her. He couldn't tear his gaze away from the school building she'd blown off. When he did turn away, he was angry. Minene didn't stop until they were in front of the campus, dropping Akise down on the ground beside her and getting out all of her "things" from a bag; a megaphone, her detonator, and a bunch of guns and cases of their ammunition.

"You blew up the…" He tried again.

"So what if I did?" asked Minene coolly, turning her blank stare at him and raising one of her brows.

"…You really are a monster." spat Akise, on his knees in front of her with his wrists tied. He couldn't believe it, _this_ was the woman that Nishijima fell in love with. She didn't deserve him _at all_, and Akise failed to see the goodness in her that Nishijima so adamantly spoke of. What goodness was there? Akise wanted to sympathize with her, but how could he? He'd heard, he'd read, and he'd seen the bombings before in news footage or newspapers, but seeing it up-close in person was a completely different experience. A horrible experience, and knowing that they were all just innocent bystanders in the game wrenched Akise's heart.

He failed to save them, and it was already his first and greatest regret. And Minene laughed. She laughed so hard, she tossed her head back and turned red. Akise shook his head at her, trying his hardest to break out of his restraints. Noticing, she dug her foot against his chest, sending his back into the ground with force. He groaned again.

"News flash, kid," she said, staring hard at his face with cold amethyst eyes. It was a gaze that Akise couldn't see through. There was no goodness in her eyes or in her face at all. It was hard and aging, and Akise didn't want to look at her anymore. "I'm a _terrorist_."

"…" Akise gritted his teeth, but not from the physical pain. He narrowed his eyes at her, glare full of loathing. "You're awful, it's inexcusable."

"Not the first time I heard that, kid." She smirked, as if satisfied with his response. Minene didn't move her foot from his chest in her setting up, sliding the sash of her detonator over her neck like a purse and checking the gun she'd pointed at his head. It was empty. She was reloading it.

Akise didn't feel anything. He was numb. That whole time in the principal's office, she was pointing an empty gun at his head, and when they were jumping out the window from Yuno, she wrapped herself snug around him, covering him from the debris of shattering glass. It wasn't from the goodness of her heart. He refused to believe that it was. She just had an ulterior motive to sparing his life and he could guess that it had something to do with the dead end that was likely on her diary. Even when Akise stared at her, pieces of shattered glass clinging to the sleeves of her wrist, her back, and her sides with blood staining through the dress, he didn't change his mind about her. It was like she said, she was a terrorist.

Minene turned another direction from him without moving her foot from her chest and checked her diary. She smirked triumphantly. Her dead end seemed to be cleared. She put her diary away. As long as that was cleared, she had nothing to worry about and hearing the police sirens, she was convinced everything was going according to her plan. That was all the confirmation she needed. Akise squirmed now, but she pressed her foot down harder on his chest, and he winced. Minene smirked toothily, eyes bright.

"They're just in time for the party, First. Aren't you excited? I know I am!" She chuckled, raising the megaphone and speaking into it._ "Hey, students and teachers! Find someplace comfy, I'm turning the motion-sensors back on!"_

Akise squeezed his eyes shut, not knowing what he could do or what he should do. Judging by the sirens that neared and neared, Minene wanted to lure someone from the police department, but who? His eyes suddenly widened. That couldn't mean that Nishijima was possibly a holder? No, if Nishijima was a holder, then that would mean the two of them would have to face each other off someday and... Bile rose in Akise's throat at the horrifying scenario he'd thought of. No, he wouldn't be able to take it anymore if Nishijima were a holder. He wouldn't be able to pretend that he was okay with how things were. He wouldn't be able to act cool for Yuno's sake! At such a possibility, Akise thrashed wildly underneath her, and it was so unsuspected, Minene almost face planted.

"Stay still! _Fuck_!" She yanked him up by his hair, holding him in a tight headlock.

"Let go of me!" He struggled and struggled, desperate. "I will bite you, Uryu!"

He didn't want to know who the holder from the police department was. He didn't want to face the truth. For the first time in his life, Akise wanted to run away. He wanted to run away and hide. And the worst part of the revelation was that he actually _couldn't_. It was an awfully helpless feeling that mixed with the regret and sorrow of the school building Minene had blown up. All of those lives she'd taken that Akise could have saved, and possibly discovering that his dear friend, his big brother, was... Tears were threatening to sting his amaranth eyes, and he wouldn't stop struggling. She wouldn't let go.

"Bullshit." Minene snickered, turning her head from him to the footsteps that neared. It was _him_. She smirked wider. "Stop right there, Fourth! Any closer, and you'll set off my mines—" Akise bit down on her blood stained, sleeved wrist. She screeched, dropping him hard in front of her and clutching at her wrist. "You shit!"

Akise scurried backwards from her, glancing about. _We're in a mine field. I can't just run wherever, or I'll be sure to step in the wrong place and be blown to bits. My diary is limited to my perspective, so even if I check it, it won't tell me anything about the mines. If anything, it will report about Ninth and Fourth, the chief. The holder she wanted to also lure is just... the chief? _Not knowing whether to be relieved or concerned, Akise gazed over at the chief that stood far with his revolver aimed at Minene. _He wouldn't have any qualms killing me. He doesn't like me all that much. _A tired smile cracked on Akise's lips.

"I should have known you would be involved in this chaotic mess," said Kurusu, sighing exasperatedly as he dropped his revolver to his middle for now. "Akise."

"Kurusu." Akise smiled weakly at him. "I've never been this happy to see you!" Kurusu laughed, grinning back at him; _I like your humor, kiddo._

"I came here on behalf of my Crime Investigation Diary, and well, because someone called the department anonymously to come over." Kurusu explained. "I'm glad that they did, but I can't say for sure if I'm as happy to see you as you are me."

"Aw, Kurusu. You'll hurt my feelings if you say that." Akise grinned, wider, and felt a little better. He couldn't say that he was happy it was Kurusu that was the holder, but he could confidently tell himself that he was happy it wasn't Nishijima. That meant that Nishijima and him were still okay.

"You little shit, I'm going to fucking kill you—" Minene lunged at Akise when above them the window suddenly shattered and Yuno fell on top of her.

Akise blinked owlishly, watching as the two of them wrestled each other on the dirt ground. Kurusu raised his brow, but lifted his revolver, waiting for his chance to strike on the terrorist he wanted to apprehend. Yuno dug her foot into one of the buttons on Minene's detonator, but it didn't seem to have an effect on anything (_to chief and Akise's relief_). Then, Minene kneed Yuno hard on the stomach, stood, and picked up the megaphone she dropped in their scuffle.

_"Fourth, this is how it's gonna be! You kill that kid," _She pointed to Akise._ "And yourself, or I'll blow up the entire school, and when that happens… I'll become the God of this world!"_

Yuno gritted her teeth as she pulled herself, clutching to her stomach. Her dilated cerise eyes swirled and swirled, lips quivering. _This bitch! She has nerve threatening Akise's life again after that first time. I'm so sick of her. I'm going to..._ Akise smiled understandingly at both Minene and Kurusu, slowly raising his hands in surrender.

"Do it, Kurusu." said Akise, smiling. "Shoot me."

Watching from the police cruisers surrounding the entrance of the campus, Nishijima's eyes widened. He couldn't that this was happening. The woman that he loved and the boy that he had watched grow were facing each other in a survival game. He palmed his mouth, heart aching. He didn't know how to describe what he was feeling, but neither did Yuno's friends, who helplessly watched the exchange in horror (_even Kosaka_).

"…" Sweat rolled down Kurusu's face, his eyes wide. "Have you lost your reasoning, Akise?"

"No, I'm right on point." Akise laughed as he remembered the nurse's words, and continued. "Kurusu, I'm one life, and compared to all those students and teachers up there? That's a hundred more than what I'm worth alone. I rather die than let her blow them up."

"_Your altruism warms my heart, First_!" said Minene sarcastically.

Akise closed his eyes, smiling.

"Shoot me, Kurusu."

"…" Yuno blinked, eyes bulging and mouth falling open into a frown._ Akise?! What are you doing? What are you saying? Akise?! Don't… don't do this! No, no, no, I won't let you! I won't let you get yourself killed! Akise! _

Kurusu nodded solemnly;_ I understand. _He steadied his shaking hand, narrowing his eyes. He focused the aim strictly on Akise's chest, where his heart was, and then, decided to lift the aim at his head instead. In the least, Kurusu wanted to grant Akise a quick, painless death. He wanted to close his eyes, but that was admitting cowardice, not only to himself but to all of the onlookers. He didn't want to kill Akise. He didn't want to kill an innocent. He didn't want to kill a child. He thoughts went to his little boy on the hospital bed, breathing hard into a mask with tubes in his pasty, sweating flesh as he tried his best to survive, as he tried his best to _be alive. _Kurusu gritted his teeth, hands shaking a little. He needed to do it, but he couldn't. What kind of father would he be to Yoi, if he couldn't save the lives of all of these people?

Akise squeezed his eyes shut tighter, waiting with his hands up. Minene smirked, lips trembling in the victorious laughter she held in. Yuno's face paled, sweat running down her face. Before Kurusu could pull the trigger though, all kinds of projectiles were thrown out the window and were hitting Minene square on the head. She twisted around, glaring in all directions as the students threw things out the window at her, attacking her and screaming their rebellion. Akise blinked, slowly opening his eyes and glancing about in surprise. Kurusu sighed in relief, lowering his revolver. Yuno smiled brightly.

She had turned the motion-sensors off when her foot slipped on one of Minene's buttons. In the corner of her eye, Yuno saw her four friends cheering them on as they threw things out the window at Minene. And then, Yuno wasn't smiling brightly anymore. Her eyes dilated and swirled as the bloodlust inside of her coursed. The two of them weren't done. She still needed to kill Minene for putting Akise's life in danger in the first place. _This bitch_.

Yuno walked over to Minene, pulling out her boxcutter from the pocket of her uniform skirt. She extended the blade as she walked closer and closer to Minene, Akise noticed. Minene didn't notice, she was busy fending off the projectiles flying at her. Kurusu raised his brow. Yuno lunged at oblivious Minene, aiming to sink the blade towards Minene's head when Akise yanking at her hand and Minene turning instead landed the blade into Minene's eye. Minene pulled herself away, shrieking as blood splattered from her impaired eye. She clutched to it, the blood pooling on the ground in front of her. Yuno walked closer to the purple-haired terrorist, intending to stab her again when Akise held her back.

"That's enough, Yuno. It's okay, the fight's over." He cooed against her hair, not letting go. His head and heart raced. This had to be the side of Yuno that Hiyama was speaking of. The way her lips twisted into a snarl of a rabid animal; the way her eyes would dilate and swirl the sweet dream of a grotesque nightmare; and the way her voice would change into a darker tone. As much as it made Akise shiver, it didn't change anything. He held her tighter, pecking her hair softly.

As long as he kept her in check, it would be fine, wouldn't it? At the same time though, those feelings he refused to succumb to were telling him otherwise. They were encouraging him to distance from her. They were encouraging him to break his promise and consult in Kurusu. He stayed where he was, holding her. Yuno stared vacantly at Minene. Her round eyes were slanted to slits, still dilated as her curved lips mouthed; _I'll get you next time_. Minene staggered back, clutching at her bleeding eye. Kurusu held up his revolver again, aiming at Minene.

"That's enough, Minene Uryu. You're done for."

Except, she wasn't done for. She activated her diary, and rode her cycle out of the campus, jumping over the barricade of police cruisers, and speeding off enough that she left a thick cloud of smoke to blind any pursuers. Kurusu sighed again, but that time it was in exasperation. He put his revolver away and raked his fingers through his hair. Akise glanced at the detonator. He pulled away from Yuno and started deactivating most of the traps in the school. Yuno stood behind him and watched.

"It's safe to walk on over now, chief." announced Akise, tossing the detonator to the side and lifting his head.

Kurusu walked over to them.

"Well, that was—" Kurusu began when Yuno slapped Akise across the face. He coughed, turning his head away.

Akise blinked, cheek red. He turned to Yuno, furrowing his brows. She was scowling at him through flushed cheeks, lips turned down to a pout.

"You're an idiot, Aru Akise! You almost got yourself killed, and then what? Then what would _I_ have done?" Her lips quivered, and she pulled him back tightly in her arms, mumbling "idiot" like a mantra against his shoulder. Akise cracked an embarrassed and small smile, hugging her back.

"At least I'm not dead, Yuno."

"But you could have been!"

"The thing is, I'm still alive," Akise pulled away to make her face him. "I'm okay, and you are, too. Right?"

"Well, yes…" Yuno muttered.

"Then, it doesn't matter." He sighed softly, leaning his forehead against hers. "We're okay." _Even though I still feel awful for not saving everyone… The two of us are still okay._

Yuno softened, smiling.

"Aru-kun?"

"Hm?"

"Can I have a kiss?"

"Right now?"

"Mm."

"Well, you've put me on blast." Akise pretended to pout at her. "I suppose I have no other choice besides placating you for now." And their lips met.

The school went wild, cheering. Kurusu himself couldn't help smiling a little when he glanced down at them. Nishijima smiled weakly from where he was, feeling awful about the whole situation that had conspired. And from above where their four friends were, they were happiest of everyone else. Mao leaned against the window with a quiet squeal of delight for Yuno. Hinata beamed. Shiraishi laughed, grinning crookedly to himself, and Kosaka just waved his hand, muttering a "whatever" as he turned away, annoyed at pretty much everyone.

They pulled away, smiling at each other and simultaneously turning to Kurusu. Kurusu grinned at them.

"Would the two of you mind if I pulled you in for a little talk?"

"I always wanted to go back into your office!" Akise grinned, and Yuno just giggled, nodding her head in agreement.

-9-

"You see, I'm on the run, so I was wondering if-"

"That has nothing to do with me."

"Ah, but we're the same, aren't we?"

"In what way?"

"The murders, and because of that, you're as guilty as I am. The least you could do is have follow sympathy for your kind."

"My kind? What would you do if I didn't help you?"

"I would make sure that the two of us were caught."

"You're persistent."

"How does an alliance sound?"

"Well, I suppose it couldn't hurt."

"That's the spirit, you two! I'm liking this already, I just can't wait for what you have in store, especially for First! Do whatever it takes to get rid of him for me, will ya? He's really getting... on... _my nerves_."


	10. The Aftermath

**Acknowledgments: To ****S0ulEater4242564 - **Thankyou so much for your praise, I'm so glad I made you happy! :) Don't suffocate on me, though! You must survive, I refuse to let you die so suddenly!

**To Cyber Orteck - **My agenda to convert you to AkiYuno has been completed. *evil laugh* Welcome to the dark side, or maybe the bright side. And they should kill Third, _eventually_. :3

Thus begins the relationship problems, because no relationships are completely perfect but what matters is pulling through.

* * *

_Entry 10 - The Aftermath _

Once everyone was safely recovered from the infiltrated Sakurami Middle School, the two with Kurusu and an awfully quiet Nishijima made their way to the station. Given the circumstances, Akise wasn't as excited as he would usually be. The lives that were claimed in the opposite building that had been blown continued to weigh down on his chest. He sat in the back with Yuno, staring down.

As if sensing his mournful guilt, the same guilt that she had shown on her face earlier, Yuno grasped his hand in her own and scooted to his side, resting her head on his shoulder. He smiled wryly, leaning his head on top of hers and flicking his eyes closed. There was a glass partition between the back and the front, and the two teens couldn't make out what Kurusu was saying to Nishijima who sullenly stared out his window. Akise could only guess he was being chastised.

"Hey, Aru-kun?"

"Hmm?"

"I'm glad that you accept me, even after…" She trailed off, and he recalled the killing stare she had on her face confronting Uryu; her ruthless determination to do more than simply maim the ninth holder; and her vulgar words spat out from the same lips that had quivered more than once in fear. Akise held her tighter.

"Of course I do," He whispered against her cotton candy colored hair. "I promised you, remember? I said I would protect you and keep your secrets, and now, I've promised you that I would stay by your side, haven't I?"

Yuno squeezed her eyes shut, wrapping her own arms around his that were gentle against her neck. She stayed quiet, for fear that she would break down. They were not tears of fear or distress, but tears of joy. She couldn't help herself. This would be the happiest she'd been in a long time.

"Haven't I?" asked Akise again, pulling only merely away to look at the face he was coming to adore and more.

"…Yes, Aru-kun." She nodded, lips quivering and eyes stinging with tears. "I'm so gl-glad."

"Sh, sh." He cooed, pecking her lips and pulling her close again.

He just needed to know _why._

* * *

The two sat in a simple conference room inside of the station. It had rows of seating, a television elevated by a file cabinet, and a desk solely reserved for Kurusu. Akise could picture most of the cases that they worked on in here, and it kind of enthralled him to finally be inside of the room. When they were walking in, Nishijima continued down on the hall and turned the corner. Akise had wondered why. Kurusu sat in front of them behind his desk, folding his hands.

"Where's Nishijima going?" asked Akise.

"I think it would be best if the two of you talked later on." said Kurusu gently.

Akise just nodded. Yuno bit the inside of her cheek, holding Akise's hand underneath their desk. He smiled a ghost of a smile at that. He really liked that she was trying to comfort him.

"I appreciate what you two did during today. It was impressive, and I am proud." Kurusu smiled at them. "However, _my _only goal is to apprehend Uryu and Hiyama, but there's something else that's been bothering me, and I think you'd be interested in knowing, Akise."

"I'm listening?" The albino tilted his head, curiously raising his brow and narrowing his eyes, listening hard.

"There's been other killings that haven't been perpetrated by the Phantom Street Killer," explained Kurusu. "Bodies have been discarded of flesh and are left behind as bone remains. We've been arguing about it in this conference room for a long time. Many of them are saying that there's no way it can be something human, but I digress. I believe something human is controlling whatever is leaving behind these bodies."

"Another serial killer?" asked Akise, slowly smiling. "Sounds right up my alley!"

"Wait a second," Kurusu laughed. "I admire your enthusiasm, Akise, but I won't hand over these case files to you right away. This is where I ask the two of you an important question, and I want you to think about it."

Akise raised his brow. Yuno blinked, staring curiously at the chief. He smiled and said,

"Will you join an alliance with me? The three of us could hunt for these killers and apprehend them."

"I'm in!" Akise replied immediately, smirking. He hadn't even thought about it, and that made Yuno giggle into her hand, but turning back to Kurusu, she nodded.

"If Aki-kun is in, then so am I. We're a team."

Kurusu slid the case files over and held out his hand.

"I will enjoy working with the two of you."

"The same here."

-10-

The two returned to Akise's house. Yuka meowed, nuzzling herself around their legs at turns, her way of welcoming them back. Akise scratched her behind her ears and made his way over to the living room, flopping on the couch and going through the files. Yuno lifted Yuka against her chest, walking over.

"Aru-kun, should I make dinner?"

"Mm."

"Oh! I should probably also refill Yuka's bowls."

"Mm."

"Do you have anything in particular that you want, Aru-kun?"

"Mm." Yuno pouted, slowly feeling ignored by the amaranth-eyed boy intently reading through the reports of this new serial killer. Feeling her pouty stare, he glanced and smiled apologetically. "No, anything is fine, Yuno. Thankyou!"

She sulked her way over to the kitchen. Was that how he became when he was working on a case to solve? Did he get _that_ attentive of it? Was he going to ignore her more? Yuno refilled Yuka's bowls, washed her hands, and began preparing dinner, frowning. She had no idea that Akise's attention on the case would only intensify.

The two were having dinner, and Akise was going to bring the files to the table, but Yuno refused to let him. He needed to eat. He had put them away reluctantly, and rejoined her for a proper dinner. It was like last time in silence, but something about this silence was bothering Yuno. She glanced at him.

Akise was hardly eating! His eyes were flitting all over the table, hand to his chin and lips as he racked through his head, thinking. Thinking about that serial killer case. Yuno felt her insides begin to boil. She wasn't liking this one bit. Instead of snapping though, she just smiled and said,

"Aru-kun, you should eat before your food gets cold."

He jolted in his chair as if he'd been struck. Nervously laughing, he nodded and rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment.

"Ah, my apologies, Yuno! I spaced out."

"I noticed." She laughed, even though it was a little forced.

Akise didn't catch it.

They were in the living room now. Akise sat upright on the couch, reading through the case once more_. _His amaranth eyes flitted from side-to-side, reading each line of text with such intensity. Was he remembering to breathe? Yuno was lying down, the back of her head on his lap. She had untied her tails, her pink hair falling down past her waist. Yuno petted Yuka who rested on her stomach, fingers seaming through the soft black-and-brown fur of the kitten_._ The only sound to fill in the silence was Akise changing to another paper in the folder, and then, Yuno's phone ringing.

At the sentimental piano melody, Yuka scurried off to hide in the kitchen. Surprised, Yuno sat up and slid off the couch, picking her ringing phone up from the coffee table. She picked it up right as the sad melody of the piano was twinkling itself into a more hopeful and somewhat painful declination. Akise glanced at her, and then, back down at his case files. In the least, she had a glance of him. That still wasn't enough, she thought sadly to herself.

"Hinata?" Yuno blinked, still surprised at the sudden call.

_"-Yunocchi_!" cried Hinata's voice, chipper than normal._ "I'm so happy you're okay! I was worried, you know? You did go off with the chief! How's Akise?"_

"He's fine, thankyou for asking." Yuno smiled, even though Hinata couldn't see it.

_"-Oh, Yunocchi! Yunocchi! Mao and I were wondering if you and Akise would join us tomorrow and come to the Sakurami Amusement Park?"_

Because of the destruction that befell Sakurami Middle School from Uryu's bombing attack, the faculty and students were on break until built up to proper condition. It was two weeks long, Yuno remembered. She'd been listening sharply to the news, unlike Akise, who was off in his own little world. She pouted again.

"That sounds like fun, Hinata! I'll ask him right now."

At that, Akise looked completely up at her and raised his brow. Yuno beamed at him.

"Aru-kun!" She palmed her phone as she spoke to him, "Hinata and the others were wondering if we could join them tomorrow. They're going to the amusement park!"

"You go ahead, Yuno," said Akise, looking back down at his case files as he added confidently. "I'll be scouting for this killer."

"…But Aru-kun…"

"Hmm?"

Yuno shook her head, turning away and pulling her palm off of her phone.

"What time would you like me to meet you there, Hinata?"

_"-Meet us there at… eleven-fifteen!"_

"Okay, I'll see you then. Have a goodnight!"

_"-You too~! Oh, and, Yunocchi!"_

"Mm?"

_"-Are you at Akise's?"_

Face flaming, Yuno quickly hung up. What an embarrassing question to ask! Even worse, what would Mao and Hinata think? Mao would definitely come up with a farfetched story as to why Yuno was in Akise's house so late and tell it to everyone tomorrow, and it would be too embarrassing to hear! Or Hinata, she would probably come up with something herself and pester Yuno with suggestive questions like _how was it_.

Yuno shivered, face red, and put her phone away. Besides, there was no way that anything would happen between them with how Akise was acting. She sighed very silently to herself and padded upstairs to Akise's room where he'd set out another futon that she would sleep beside him in. The door closed, Akise still didn't look up from his case, and Yuka meowed sadly at the scene unfolding itself before her, wondering if this would be the beginning of something bitter between her owners.

-10-

Yuno stood at the entrance of the amusement park at eleven-ten. The top of her attire was a round neckline that didn't reveal too much, and even if it did, it would show off the frilly, collared button up underneath, and a short, light-green dirndl skirt with boots. She waited with her purse, smiling small. Yuno was more than happy to be spending time with her friends, even if it was a little, but she was only bothered by the fact that Akise hadn't come along.

She frowned now, staring down at her boots. Yuno understood that he was solving the case to apprehend the killer and make the city safer, and yet, she didn't like the idea of him being out and about without her. She didn't like being apart. Balling her hands into fists, she was miles away from stomping to Akise's house.

"Yunocchi!" Yuno looked up to see Hinata grinning and waving at her, the other three following her. Mao smiled at her, holding her camera. Kosaka nodded his head at her, face indifferent. Shiraishi nodded his head at her, a little shy; _She's out of uniform._

"Hey, Hinata!" Yuno chirped, beaming. "And everyone else."

"Everyone else?" Mao pouted as she neared. "Don't put me in the same categorization as_ that_ guy." Her green eyes glanced at Kosaka, whispering loudly against her palm as she said it.

Kosaka gaped.

"Please, Gasai, _not me too_!" cried Shiraishi.

"…Unbelievable." Kosaka scoffed, crossing his arms. "I'm still way better than _all of you_."

"We'll see about that!" Hinata laughed, "Here's the thing, peeps. We'll be participating in a contest I made up during the rollercoaster ride."

"Oh, great." said Kosaka sarcastically, "It will be so unfun."

"Whoever screams first on the rollercoaster buys everyone lunch!"

_"_No, are you serious?!"

"Sounds like fun!"

"I'm in!"

Yuno laughed at her friends, playing along. The five made their way over to the amusement park, getting through admission, and beginning their day of fun. During the rollercoaster, Yuno was anxious. She wasn't scared of screaming, she was anxious at the fact that one of them would be separated from the group. When it came to be their turn to board the rollercoaster, Yuno found herself sitting by an empty seat until the operator beckoned someone who was alone. They sat by Yuno, but she paid no attention. She pretended that she was by herself. The rollercoaster took off slowly, driving itself up the steep track that would curve downwards to an awaiting loop where one of them in the group of five would scream.

If Yuno were herself, she might have let a scream slip as the downfall of the rollercoaster and then laugh in embarrassment, glancing at Akise who would be sitting next to her, smiling smugly at her_; Haha! You screamed. _or she would be awaiting the result of who ended up screaming. However, she wasn't feeling herself at the moment, and so, she sat passively, doing neither. When the rollercoaster dove down and looped, Yuno didn't scream, and throughout that entire ride, she just couldn't shake off her feeling of emptiness without Akise at her side. Her heart wrenched.

"'Guess who owes us lunch?!" asked Hinata, grinning. They were all regrouped outside of the ride, waiting by its fence. "It's... _Kosaka_!"

"It's always me." He mumbled. "Goddammit... What do you guys want?"

"That!" She pointed to the likely most expensive place to eat, and he growled.

"You're not making this any easier!"

"The point is to bruise your pride, a teensy-weensy bit." Mao giggled.

"More like smash it into pieces!"

"C'mon, you have more than enough of it to go around." Shiraishi added.

"Do you want to eat there, Gasai-" Kosaka began but saw that Yuno was staring down, locks of her hair in her face. "Uh, you okay?" Immediately, the rest turned to her. Hinata blinked, walking closer. Mao tilted her head, frowning. Shiraishi glanced.

"Yunocchi, is something the matter?" asked Hinata solicitously, reaching out for her hand.

"Um, I'm fine." Yuno lifted her head and cracked a small smile. "I'll be right back, okay? I'll find you guys at that place, right?"

They just nodded, watching her go. As soon as her back was to them, Yuno's face fell and the tears were stinging her eyes. Yuno then came back, and they had their lunch. She recovered enough to pretend again, but still, her thoughts of Akise never went away. And when time came that everyone was going home, Hinata told her that they should do something together as a group for the rest of the break. Yuno agreed, it was likely that Akise wouldn't spend any time with her, too consumed in his case-solving. She arrived at his house at eight. She didn't have a house key, so without any hope of him being home, she knocked.

Surprisingly, he answered without his face buried in his case files. He smiled at her, until he saw that she wasn't smiling, at all. She was staring blankly down at her feet.

"Yuno?" He called her gently. "Yuno? Did something happen? What's the matter? You could have called me, and I would have picked you up."

"Nothing," She murmured, walking past him and slipping out of her shoes by the door. "I'm fine."

Akise closed it, frowning and raising his brow.

"You aren't convincing me."

"Goodnight, Akise." She walked upstairs, and he blinked upon hearing his last name.

"Yuno!" He called after her. "Yuno!" She never turned back, and the bedroom door fell shut. He sighed. Yuka meowed that same sad meow, shaking her head reproachfully at Akise; _This is all your fault_. Akise just laughed quietly, shrugged, and walked back to the lamp-lit living room.

Yuno curled up in her futon, face buried in her pillow that was drenching with her tears.

-10-

Hinata came back home, smiling, until her eyes fell upon that familiar mane of red hair and_ those _green eyes. Her father sat beside him, drinking a glass of red wine. He caught her staring at Hiyama and beckoned her. Mutely, she closed the door, slipped out of her shoes, and walked on over.

"As you expected, I am the serial killer behind the latest killings. I killed them out of my suspicion of them being diary holders," Hiyama's lips curled at that. "I still regret being infatuated with my dogs and being the reason our family was broken up, but I want to turn back time, to when things were still good between the three of us. That's my only wish as a God, Hinata, but there's only one problem, Hinata. It's one of your classmates." Her father glanced at Hiyama.

Hiyama shrugged and pulled out a picture, sliding it on the table. It was a picture of Akise. The picture showed him crouched down before the animalistic prints on the dirt path before him, eyes narrowed and chin held in thought. He had no idea he had been watched.

"He's after me. I think he's a holder. If he gets to me, he will kill me and I won't be able to amend for my mistakes, Hinata."

Hinata couldn't believe she was hearing this. It conflicted her a lot. She couldn't tear her gaze from the photo of Akise, as if her stare could wish it away into someone else, someone unfamiliar. The photo never changed, and she gritted her teeth. She loved Yuno like a sister. No, all of her friends were like a family to her, and yet, Yuno's boyfriend, Akise Aru, the self-proclaimed "boy detective" and the class-skipper was investigating her father. Akise was sabotaging her father's chances of becoming God! That was unforgivable. As much as Hinata didn't want to do this to her dear friend, Yuno... Hinata balled her hands into tight fists to hide how hard she was shaking, fighting back the stinging tears as she said,

"I can get rid of him for you, Daddy."


	11. A Dreadful Detour

_Entry 11 - A Dreadful Detour_

Akise blinked, finding himself lying on the couch with the first three buttons of his dress shirt undone and his tie on the floor. He sat up, gently rubbing his eyes. He glanced about. There were no sounds of pantries being opened or dishes being cooked. Yuka was fast asleep, curled on the armchair beside the couch. It was silent. Was Yuno still sleeping upstairs in his room, upset for some reason?

He glanced at the case file on the coffee table, and then, he blinked twice. He'd forgotten to call Nishijima! That's what he forgot to do. He clapped his palm to his face and sighed softly, smiling at his forgetfulness. How could he ever forget to do such a thing? Nishijima was likely handling the situation roughest than anyone else. Akise dialed up Nishijima's number on his cellphone, held it to his ear, and waited.

"-_Hello_?"

"Good morning, Nishijima. How are you feeling?"

"-_Akise, it's afternoon_."

"Huh?"

"-_It's afternoon_."

Akise glanced at the time beneath the television, **3:25 PM**. He blinked. Had he fallen asleep for that long? Where was Yuno? What was she doing? Did she leave without waking him? So many questions ran through Akise's head as he sat there, forgetting he was on the phone.

"-_Akise, do I need to come over_?"

"No, you don't." said Akise, laughing nervously. "I may have lost track of time."

"-_I know you. The only time you oversleep is when you're studying a case too hard. Are you remembering to eat? To drink? How's Gasai-san_?"

"…I think she's upset with me." Akise slowly admitted, thinking back to yesterday's events. She started acting strangely when she came back from the Sakurami Amusement Park. Perhaps she was bummed that he hadn't gone with her?

"-_Don't tell me you've been ignoring her_?"

"…Ah, well, it's_ not_ on purpose—"

"-_Akise_!"

"Nishijima, this case intrigues me! Bodies stripped of their flesh and left as bone remains? What animal could do it _so_ perfectly? I found footprints outside of the old observatory by the forest. Kurusu may be right, something human may be controlling whatever these are. The footprints are unnatural, and I've found a few screws on the ground." Akise rambled, smiling.

"-_Akise, this is great and all, but don't forget about Gasai-san okay_?"

"I'll go look for her."

"-_Good, be safe_."

"Nishijima, you never answered. Are you okay or not?"

"-_I've never been better, Akise_."

"Hey, why did you leave the hospital before your discharge?"

"-_When I heard Uryu was at your school, I couldn't stay put. I was worried about your safety, and in the end, I still did nothing to save you. I'm sorry, Akise, that you have to be hearing this. I should be stronger for you, I should be better, but… I've been wondering if I'm any good as your big brother_—"

"Don't be an idiot." said Akise quickly. He was tired and hungry with Yuno likely missing, possibly in danger, and the last thing he wanted—the last thing he _needed_ was a sappy conversation with his big brother. He didn't need to lose his composure again, not when he was going to go find Yuno. Finding her if she was hurt or disoriented demanded him to be levelheaded. The last time he lost his cool, it nearly cost him his life. "Let's continue this conversation later, okay? I'm going to find Yuno."

"-_Okay, Aru-chan_."

The line went dead.

* * *

"Where are we going?" asked Yuno, tilting her head as Hinata and Mao pulled her along, Mao's hand holding her left and Hinata her right. Shiraishi and Kosaka followed behind.

"We're going to check out one of the sites of those dead bodies!" Hinata announced, grinning. "It'll be so cool!"

"Is this really a good idea?" asked Yuno, very nervous. "What if we get caught by the police? We'll get into trouble for trespassing, won't we?" She had a really bad feeling in her chest.

"Don't be a buzzkill, Yunocchi!" Hinata teased, snickering. "C'mon!"

"I don't see any of that crime scene tape around here, either." added Mao.

"We're here, Gasai-san." said Shiraishi from behind her. "_We'll_ protect you if anything happens." Kosaka mumbled something about Shiraishi speaking for himself.

Yuno swallowed down the lump in her throat. Was this what horror felt like?

-11-

"Yuno, where are you?" asked Akise to no one in particular. He was on his bike, pedaling off around the city on the designated lane. Cars rushed on past him and bypassers glanced at the odd boy talking out loud to himself. "Hmm, I can't seem to find you anywhere, _unlesssss_…" He stopped his bike suddenly, blinking. He hopped off and pulled himself onto the sidewalk. Reaching into the pocket of his blue jacket, he pulled out a half-eaten donut and bit into it. Despite his usual politeness, he mused with his mouthful, "Is she..." _Bite, chew, chew_. "with her friends?" _Gulp_. "But then, where would they go?" A sigh. "Well... yesterday they did go to that amusement park…" He cupped his chin, thinking through narrowed eyes.

Just then, a pampered golden retriever jumped through a crowd of surprised people. The retriever barked and barked, running on past Akise, but not without snatching the jelly donut in Akise's hand with its mouth. Akise gaped, surprised and appalled by the dog's shamelessness. Then, his lips curled to a smirk. Quickly, he climbed onto his bike and pedaled off to follow the donut-snatching dog's trail.

_Is a donut enough to satisfy the hunger of dog? You just stole the wrong person's donut! That was my breakfast, lunch, and if Yuno is still mad, possibly _my_ dinner!_

-11-

"Rest stop!" cried Hinata. "Take a stretching break, everybody, and if you need to use it, you'd better!" She laughed, grinning.

The group of five stopped at a small rest area. The building offered historical statues of Sakurami City and about four restrooms for males and females. Just outside of it was a vending machine and a couple of table-benches. Yuno stood around, trying her best to find the excitement in what they were doing, but came with none. She couldn't stop thinking of how dangerous all of this was. Where was Akise?

He would love to be involved in this kind of thing. Yuno frowned. Should she have left without saying anything? She didn't want to wake him, and she was still upset with him. She thought it would have been better if she left silently. She was starting to think that maybe she was a burden to him, after all. Just the idea of going back to _that _house made her more than depressed, it made her scared. She didn't know what she would do if she returned to her old house. Funny, she couldn't even handle facing the crime she committed without cracking the slightest. Hiyama would laugh at her for it, calling her a guilt-killer. She stared down at the pavement, her friends' interactions sounding as background noise in her train of thought.

Hiyama had said that she was like a coin, that she came with two sides of her. Two sides of herself that would never overlap or meet. She hadn't understood it, but she was beginning to now. And she didn't like what he was implying at all. Yuno wished Akise was with her. He'd said that he would never leave her, but how couldn't he? She was proving herself to be too much, wasn't she? She was no different than a child, right? She fought back her sudden unhappiness, looking up as Hinata approached her with a can of Japanese soda.

"Have a sip, Yunocchi!"

"No thankyou." Yuno smiled weakly.

Hinata grinned at her, leaned in, and pecked her cheek. Yuno involuntarily blushed, blinking in surprise. Hinata just broke into a cackling fit, the boys glancing over and Mao snapping a picture of the scene.

"I couldn't resist. You're just too cute, Yunocchi."

"How come you aren't that way with me, Hinata?!" asked Mao, pouting. "Gasai-chan always gets more attention than me!"

"Oh, pipe it, Mao."

Shiraishi laughed, grinning, Kosaka rolled his eyes.

"Onwards!" cried Hinata.

"I'm leading this time around." said Kosaka, walking ahead with his hands in his short pockets.

"Not if you're too slow!" The mocha-tanned teen raced ahead of him, challengingly.

"Don't mess with me, I'm in track!" Kosaka trailed hurriedly after her, and she just laughed.

A flash of another snapped picture, Mao sighed longingly. She stared after them. Shiraishi laughed quietly into his palm, hiding the amused grin he was wearing. This was likely the most fun and excitement he's had in awhile. Yuno just followed after them, wringing her hands and glancing about. Her heart was pounding hard in her chest. The sun was starting to come down, hiding and setting down, and it birthed the evening sky. The evening sky was like the work of a Van Gogh painting with the way that the redness of the sun was layered on bottom as it set, and the night blue was slowly consuming it.

Yuno checked her phone. It was only five-something. Why was it setting so early?

"If I'm not careful, Kosaka might steal my Hinata from me!" Mao was saying to Shiraishi. "And if things come down to that, I might have to do something about it~."

"Like what?" asked Shiraishi.

"I wonder what." Mao giggled, but something about it was diabolical and it chilled Yuno to the core.

And that was when they heard it. A loud, bloodcurdling scream deep within the dark, forest they were walking into. Mao jumped, eyes wide. Shiraishi blinked, and then, he ran ahead. Yuno gaped, her eyes slowly widening, too. That was it. That was the start of something awful.

Her diary sounded the change of the future.


	12. Survive! Day Three

**Acknowledgments: To Cyber Orteck - **There is an observer, but they aren't involved until we're towards the climax and the final two are left.

**To Tris PhantomEvans - **Haha! You _totally_ called it!

* * *

_Entry 12 - Survive! Day Three_

The three had ran all the way down to where Kosaka stood rigid. He was wide-eyed, soundlessly gaping at the sight of the dismembered torso of Hinata Hino. She was face down, blood pooling around her, and something cold within Yuno coiled at the sight. Mao screamed a long, broken scream that burst tears from her eyes and sobs from her mouth. She was about to fling herself over to her friend when Shiraishi held her back, noticing the many red eyes staring them down from the darkness of the forest bushes and trees.

"I think we should just move back, _very_ slowly…" said Shiraishi quietly, holding Mao's hands tightly in his as he inched back towards the dirt path they had taken to this very spot.

"It doesn't matter, nothing matters!" Mao whimpered, pulling at her hands. The tears wouldn't stop falling as she tugged and tugged, miserable. "Hinata is dead! She's dead! If she's gone, _I don't want to_…"

"Stop talking like that, Mao!" cried Yuno. "Hinata wouldn't want you thinking like this and you know it! Please, pull yourself together..."

Mao opened her mouth, most likely to remark about how insensitive Yuno was being when Kosaka intervened.

"You guys," Kosaka began, swallowing down the horror caught in his throat as sweat beaded from his shocked face. "They're… they're kind of getting cl-closer t-to us..."

Yuno glanced. The red eyes were closer than they were previously. Her heart pounded in her chest as she stood there, wide-eyed. She knew something awful had happened, but she hadn't expected this. At the same time, she didn't feel as sorrowful as Mao or as horrified and surprised as the other two. Instead, there was an underlying and cold suspicion of _wrong_. Something horribly, inexplicably, and completely _wrong _that she couldn't place. That terrified her most of all.

"You know," a voice from behind them made all of them jump off the ground.

They all simultaneously turned to see Akise making his way over from the opposite forest. That forest was just as dark as the one in front of them. He sauntered through, smiling evenly and proudly until he stood right in front of Yuno. She blinked, pleasantly surprised by his arrival. She almost smiled, but given the grim circumstances, she didn't. His amaranth eyes were on her, and then, he was looking at everyone else, hands in his pockets.

"The longer you guys just stand here, the likelier you're all dog dinner."

Shiraishi sarcastically laughed, narrowing his brown eyes.

"And what's your suggestion, _genius_?"

"Now, now, now," Akise gently waved his hand at Shiraishi. "There is no need for such sourness, but since you asked, I suggest we all make a break for it. There's an old observatory up ahead, it could keep them off. At least, for some time."

"Are you nuts?!" exclaimed Kosaka. "You seriously think we have any fucking chance outrunning these things?"

"Shouldn't I be asking you that? You're the one in track." Akise smiled at him.

"Now isn't the time to fuck with me—" Kosaka was shouting when the dogs began growling, walking over slowly to the group of teenagers. Their paws hitting the ground left sounds of clanking metal, and looking closer at them, Akise could see that they were indeed mechanical dogs. He had been right after all.

"No time for second-guessing, we have to move!" Akise clapped his hand over Yuno's and darted onto the dirt path leading up to the observatory. The other three followed behind, albeit with Shiraishi struggling to pull an underwhelmed, grieving Mao.

As soon as they made it inside, they slammed the doors shut and backed up into the center of the place. Akise hadn't let go of Yuno's hand. He tightened his grip on her. She glanced at him, cheeks lightly colored and eyes still wide. He smiled apologetically at her, and then turned away, going through his pocket. She raised her eyebrow, but didn't ask. He must have been glancing at his diary, because he didn't end up taking anything out. They turned back to the others.

Kosaka was slowly starting to shake, eyes wide again as he saw the dogs clambering at the doors with their sharp paws, as if attempting to break the doors. Mao didn't even react. She was staring off into space with hollow green eyes, mouth shut into a blank expression. Shiraishi held her against him, frowning and looking around. He was trying to comprehend the situation without freaking out like Kosaka.

Akise slowly held his free hand to his mouth, narrowing his eyes. _If my diary is right, the dogs are going to try to enter through the windows. If they do, we're going to struggle sustaining them, and Yuno will use her diary to keep the dogs off of us. My diary has also confirmed the suspicion that Hinata is Tenth's daughter, and will be using Yuno as bait to get to _me. _My diary may be limited to my perspective and actions, but I am _not_ letting anything happen to Yuno. However… if I do abstain her from using her diary, we'll be unprotected and we'll most likely all be killed._

_I want to think that the moment we do nothing, Hinata would reveal herself and would do what she intended to begin with, but… I doubt it. Her father killed so many people. He would have no qualms killing us either. I also have to be cautious of Mao. She's really good portraying her role so far, but I can't let my guard down and give her the benefit of the doubt. She's involved, she has to be. After all, she would do anything for Hinata, wouldn't she?_

"Akise! The windows!" cried Kosaka.

"What now?" Shiraishi glanced at Akise.

On both sides of the double door entrance, there were four long windows. Outside of them were the dogs trying to break in. Akise ran over to one of the windows that many of the dogs were jumping on, leaning against it.

"We do what we can to hold them off." He announced. _In the end, there's only one choice left to make. Yuno has to use her diary, if we all want to survive. _"Shit!" Akise glanced as a pack of five dogs were ganging up on the third window on the left.

Immediately, Shiraishi ran over to it and leaned hard against it. The dogs were throwing themselves harder against the windows, and when they tried it simultaneously, Akise and Shiraishi struggled to keep themselves standing upright as they leaned. Meanwhile, the other three stood there, wide-eyed. Kosaka was trying to compose himself. Mao was continuing to stare off into space. Yuno was both panicking from the situation and her racing thoughts.

What should she do? Should she help Akise? Should she be comforting Mao, or Kosaka? Why wasn't she convinced that this was right? Why could she feel nothing but _alarm_? Yuno glanced about. Something didn't line up. Her cerise eyes locked with Akise's amaranth ones, and when she saw he was gritting his teeth as his body was about to slide down onto the floor, she decided. Quite convenient that she had decided then, since the dogs smartened and were jumping against the unguarded windows.

"Kosaka, up to that first one! Come on, pull yourself together, _we need you_! You can't be standing around, or it's like Akise said. _We'll be dinner_!" Yuno ran over to the window next to Akise, leaning hard against it. "Akise, Shiraishi, do your best to keep them off of those windows, and Kosaka, in about sixty-five seconds from now, I want you to switch places with Shiraishi, and—" She was reading the instructions off of her diary, and despite Shiraishi and Kosaka's shared confusion, they obeyed.

They were more confused when it miraculously worked. Akise couldn't say he wasn't _all_ displeased. He was happy that their lives were spared, all thanks to Yuno's diary entries, but he was unhappy that it had to play out this way after all. It wasn't Yuno's fault. It was either that she used her diary to help them, or she didn't, and they would have either been killed or spared. The chances of being spared if she hadn't used her entries were too slight to venture, and she must have acknowledged that, because when they exchanged alert glances at each other, he just sensed that she knew something was up, too.

Good, they were on the same page. It would make things easier when things escalated later on. When that happened, the two of them would be ready. It was early nightfall around the time that the dogs retreated back into the forests, barking their defeat and frustration for the world to hear. The four heaved sighs in unison, tempted to collapse on the floor from their exhaustion. That had worn them out. Akise sighed softly, wanting to close his eyes. Instead, he stared hard over at Mao. She stood in the same place, back facing them.

In his peripheral vision, he saw Shiraishi and Kosaka pounding each other's fists in victory as they laughed breathlessly in relief, drenched in their sweat from their face to their neckline. Yuno smiled, also relieved that things hadn't gone too bad. She walked over to Akise and hugged him tight. He hugged her back, eyes still on shadowed Mao.

"Are you okay?" whispered Yuno.

"I'm a little worn, but I'll be fine. How are you?" He asked quietly.

"I'm just fine." She giggled, placing a gentle kiss on Akise's cheek. She was happy that he was there. Yuno had been worried that he wouldn't have spent any of their time off together when she first saw how absorbed he was in that case. She couldn't deny that she was still upset about it, but she was going to be gentle to him for now. She hugged him tighter. Akise breathed out a laugh, amused at her clinginess. He shouldn't have ignored her, but then, he wouldn't be garnished with _this _much affection. He smirked to himself, shaking his mischievous thoughts aside as his fingers softly brushed hairs that clung to the sweat on her forehead.

"Isn't that gross?" asked Yuno, embarrassed.

"Doesn't matter to me." Akise grinned crookedly at her, and she smiled, nuzzling his neck. Like Shiraishi and Kosaka, they were flushed and sweaty from their faces to their necklines from how many windows they had run back and forth to lean heavily against while packs of at least five dogs were pushing consistently against the windows, determined. Oh yes, none of that mattered. At least, not anymore. What mattered now was Mao. He glanced at her, and then stared back down at the cerise-eyed girl that was nuzzling his chest, akin to how Yuka behaved when he was sitting on the couch, reading case files "You're not upset anymore?" Akise added tentatively, "For me being... mean, in regards to ignoring you?"

"You can make it up to me later, Aru-kun." Yuno looked up at him, smiling. "Right now, we have something we need to do, right?"

"Mm." He nodded, "I will make it up to you, I promise, Yuno."

Yuno stared at his lips for a moment, as if she wanted to kiss them and he almost leaned in to meet her, but hesitantly, they broke away from each other. They sent each other glances. She embarrassedly smiled, blushing lightly. He grinned crookedly, pocketing his hands into his jacket. Shiraishi and Kosaka walked up to them, still sweaty and flushed but elated.

"How did you do that, Gasai-san?" asked Shiraishi eagerly.

"Yeah, you totally saved our asses!" Kosaka chimed in.

"Oh, well…" Yuno blushed to her ears in embarrassment. She hadn't expected _those _kinds of reactions from them. Akise tilted his head. "It's just…"

While the three of them were conversing, Akise simply listening, Mao silently made her way over. All that time during their way here, Mao couldn't help debating with herself. She was going to hold Yuno at knifepoint to provoke Akise in exchanging his diary for his girlfriend, for Hinata's sake. Yet she couldn't help question if it was right for her to do this to them. Neither her nor Hinata expected Yuno to be a holder. They'd only known Akise was one from Uryu's ambush on their school. Her being a holder changed things, but it had been revealed so abruptly, could there be any plausible last-minute changes to their original plan?

Mao bit the inside of her lip, it was quivering. Her hands trembled, sweating. She needed to pull herself together, but how could she? Yuno was her friend. She'd only vaguely known Akise, but she had never thought about killing other people before, let alone think of holding them at knifepoint. Biting her tongue, Mao neared. She was just going to hold Yuno at knifepoint, she wouldn't kill anyone. No one would be getting hurt. This was all for Hinata.

If Mao hadn't loved Hinata as much as she did, she might have walked away from the agreement they made. The two of them had been walking back from downtown when Hinata stopped them in a secluded side of town where most buildings were in the process of being modernized. Distinctly, they could hear faraway chatter and the footsteps of passing people as they stood there. Hinata weakly smiled at Mao, tears in her eyes, and Mao just knew. She just knew that whatever Hinata was going to say, it was bad, and it was something bad that she would need Mao to be part of.

Mao agreed to help her, because she loved her. She loved her so much. Ever since Hinata had the decency to show her around campus, Mao's feelings harvested. The more friendly and gentle Hinata was with her, the deeper she fell in love with her. Mao was maybe dumb, probably being manipulated by Hinata as a disposable puppet, but her strong feelings for her told her otherwise. Mao was observant.

Hinata wore a disguise all of the time, and seeing her hide from her feelings hurt. Mao was doing this, because she wanted Hinata to be okay again. She wanted Hinata to stop crying and sobbing when she thought that Mao walked far away enough that she wouldn't overhear; she wanted Hinata to stop faking smiles and laughter that she was sure Mao was convinced from; and she wanted Hinata to truly, truly be happy, even if that meant that Mao would have to do _this _for her. And just like that, Mao swallowed down her reluctance, drew the knife from the back pocket of her long, red skirt, and closed in on Yuno.

_This is for Hinata!_

Mao shoved Yuno's back against her, blade of the knife against her throat. There was no room for fear or second thoughts. There was only Hinata's one chance of happiness, through the cruel intentions of a betrayal. Shiraishi and Kosaka's eyes widened simultaneously, their mouths agape. Hadn't they had enough surprises for the night? Akise blinked, but didn't react any further than that, because Mao was so sure that she had Yuno, but Yuno surprised her. Yuno lifted her leg easily, swinging her foot into Mao's stomach, spinning around before Mao had time to react, and knocking the knife from Mao's grip through an elbow strike.

The knife clattered to the floor. Now Shiraishi and Kosaka's mouths dropped further open at the sight of Yuno flipping Mao over, pressing her stomach against the floor. Akise smiled, picking up the knife, pocketing it, and drawing handcuffs, he was given to by Kurusu, from his pocket. He clicked the cuffs onto Mao's wrists, chipper. Yuno rubbed her hands on her skirt, smiling smugly down at Mao. Her eyes were dilated and her cheeks were flushed; _Try that again, bitch. _

That expression was what made Mao question why she had hesitated at all. Her look of horror was replaced with a disdainful glare. Yuno Gasai was a monster. Akise Aru was a trickster. Those two didn't deserve to live. She wriggled and wriggled, attempting to break free from the handcuffs. The metal strained against her pale flesh, staining it purple, and she groaned exasperatedly, furious. The moment she was freed, she would kill the two of them - _smiling mockingly down at her for fighting for Hinata's happiness! Those..._

"What the hell is going on?!" interrogated Kosaka.

"I second that." Shiraishi bit his lip.

Just then, the doors from the front were pulled open. Hinata burst in, scowling in disbelief at all of them. Shiraishi swallowed, wondering what he had done to be involved in such a horrendously eventful night as this. Kosaka gaped, and then, he glared, clearly angered that his feelings, like most of everyone else's, were played with. He balled his hands into tight fists, face flushing. Yuno locked her dilated eyes on Hinata, a knowing smirk lifting those lips. Akise's lips also curled up.

"I was going to go easy," said Hinata, voice shaking and brown eyes watering, "Just have us play a stupid betting game with lives on the line, but you had to make it so difficult, didn't you, Akise Aru?"

"If I didn't make anything difficult, this wouldn't be _so_ fun!" chuckled Akise, smiling. "On a more serious side of things, Hinata, it doesn't have to be this way. If you put a stop to this, we can go easy on you and forgive you for all of this before it gets bad. Don't believe in your dad, Hinata. He's a liar and a killer."

"You don't know my dad!" She screamed, tears falling down her face. "None of you know my dad the way I do! He's nothing you say he is!"

"He's using you." said Akise gently, maintaining calm. "Don't you get it? He's using your trust and your feelings for his own advantage. He doesn't care if he wins or not, Hinata. He just wants to spill blood. Don't tell me you buy his excuse for killing all of those innocent people?"

"..." The tears wouldn't stop falling, but Hinata harshly rubbed them away with her sleeve, and she cried, "_You're all dog-food_!"

Immediately, the dogs they fended off from earlier were running towards them.

"Fucking hell!" cried Kosaka.

The four of them broke for it, leaving handcuffed Mao and Hinata behind. They ran off into the forest behind the observatory, into the starlit blue night. Hinata sent the dogs hot on their trail, walking over to Mao and crouching beside her. Mao looked up at her, tears in her green eyes and lips trembling.

"I'm so sorry, Hinata, that I didn't-" Hinata's tears spilled on Mao's face, and she blinked.

"What have I done to you?" croaked Hinata, sobbing into her palm. "Oh Mao, I'm so sorry... I'm so sorry... why did I involve you? Something worse than this could have happened, and it would have been _my_ fault-"

"_I don't care_!" cried Mao, holding back her own sobs at Hinata so broken down. "I did this, because I wanted to."

A weak smile twitched on Hinata's trembling lips, tears spilling over them as she whispered,

"You shouldn't love me..."

And watching her from the cameras he had within the observatory, her father smiled as he thought the same about her. Children were often foolish. No, not just children, humans were foolish, cruel, and hypocritical beings. They were faint of heart all along, and life was just a game to them. He turned away from all of the screens flickering with footage from the observatory surveillance cameras and the implanted cameras that were the sight of his mechanical dogs, facing all of his precious dogs situated at a long running table. Humans were heartless, but dogs were more open and gentler with each other. They hardly hurt each other for the sake of hurting each other, unlike the disgraceful human race.

"I'm leaving."

"So suddenly?"

"Akise is a smart boy. Knowing him, the cops aren't too far away from arriving here. I won't be around to see you get your ass handed to you."

"Just when I went through all of the trouble of hospitalizing you to begin with?"

"Mm, I suggest you make a break for it, too."

"I prefer to stay here and enjoy dinner with _my_ family."

The shadowed figure in the doorway sneered.

"I thought I was fucked up, my condolences to your daughter." And he walked away.

Dogs were more understanding of each other than humans could have ever hoped to be.

* * *

"Where the fuck are we going?" asked Kosaka, sweating hard.

They were all sweating, flushed, and aching by now. Akise pressed on, determined. Shiraishi was beginning to slow, but hearing the snarls behind him made him speed up again. Yuno glanced back and forth, alarmed.

"We can't run forever..." Shiraishi muttered through his heavy, desperate breathing.

"You're right." Akise agreed. "I'm going to run back and talk her out of this."

"That didn't work so well before!" Kosaka glanced. "Like hell I'm trusting my life in _your _hands-"

"Do you doubt Akise-kun?" Yuno's dilated eyes locked on him. Wisely, Kosaka went silent. She turned to Akise instead. "I'm not letting you go by yourself."

"I thought you wouldn't." He pulled the knife out of his pocket and offered it to her. "They're going to be on our trail for sure. _I'll need you_."

Yuno's insides flared. Her heart fluttered, her cheeks heated, and she smiled adoringly. Akise was counting on her. She couldn't let him down. Yuno held the handle of the knife tight, turning away as she rose a shaking hand to her bright cheek, hiding how her smile widened stupidly. Akise turned to the other two.

"I suggest that the two of you climb a tree and stay put!"

"Easier said than done, man, easier said than done..." Kosaka panted out.

The divided into pairs. Kosaka and Shiraishi continued running ahead, deeper into the forest. Akise and Yuno turned back, running into the forest at their side. The dogs also divided, but not in pairs. Even when split in half, they were innumerable. Though, Akise and Yuno didn't let that bother them as they ran forward. They weren't disrupted until they reached the front of the observatory where at least ten dogs had been waiting. They rushed over to them, and Yuno prepared for work. The first dog that jumped over she stabbed right in the head. The exterior of the mechanical dogs was akin to Kevlar material, but it was easily penetrable. It was the interior that was robust and wire. Despite them being mechanical, they were similar to dogs in terms of how they were structured. If she aimed for the head, that would be their brain and their mechanical brains were the connection to receiving Hinata's orders.

When more than one of them ran over to her, it was harder for her to do it as gracefully, but Yuno managed. Akise gazed at Hinata. She stood at the top of the steps into the observatory, Mao stood beside her, still handcuffed. Hinata glared down at him.

"Are you giving yourself up, Akise?"

"I'm here to talk to you."

"Well, I'm _not_." said Hinata pointedly.

"I know you aren't. I may not be your friend, but I would hope that after we all leave this situation alive, you and I can grow to become friends, Hinata. I want that for us, and Yuno, as your friend that you betrayed, wants that, too. Your dad isn't a good guy. He stopped caring about you way before your mom left!"

Hinata burst into tears, squeezing her brown eyes shut and turning her head away.

"_Shutup_s_hutupshutupshutupshutup_!"

"Akise!" cried Yuno. She had disposed of those ten dogs that were waiting, but the lot that had followed them back were slowly closing in on them.

"Call them off, Hinata! You have no right to threaten anyone's life but _mine_! I don't care if you want to kill me, but you _won't_ drag the rest of them with me_! _Do you get it?" asked Akise, furrowing his brows and staring hard at Hinata.

At those words, Yuno, Hinata, and Mao's eyes widened. Yuno felt her insides run cold at those words. He wasn't going to give himself up... That wasn't part of the plan! No, Akise wouldn't kill himself when they were partners, would he? Panic withered her face and she turned to him, his back facing her. He glared up at Hinata now, slowly walking up to her. A low, surprised squeal escaped Yuno's throat, and she inched to walk after him. One of the dogs latched onto her leg, and she screamed.

Akise saw and turned back to Hinata, frantic.

"Call them off! _Now, Hinata_!"

"..." Hinata shakily fiddled with her controller and obeyed.

The dogs stilled. Yuno wiggled out of the one that had closed its canines down on her leg, and when she pulled away, blood was spilling from where its sharp teeth had sank into her flesh. Those weren't shallow incisions. Akise's eyes widened, but he was relieved to hear sirens ringing in the distance. Hinata stiffened at the sound of them, and then, she heard her father's voice from the planted intercom within the observatory.

"-_As expected, you did disappoint me, Hinata_."

Hinata gasped in surprise, clapping her hand to her mouth.

"-_You really were foolish, weren't you? To think that I would be selfless and loving enough to live to my words? You have a long way to go of understanding the heartlessness of the human race, sweetheart_." He should be scolding her in the way he was speaking, but he crooned them, and it was the gentlest, sweetest way he had _ever_ spoken to her in her living.

"You..." She began, but her voice distorted into uncontrollable sobs and cries.

"-_Take it from me, often the people who act nicest are the people who are cruelest_."

The static announced he had cut off the connection. The whites of Yuno's eyes returned, and she blinked. She slowly frowned, heart aching for Hinata as she took the situation in. The searing of her bleeding leg didn't matter compared to how upset her friend was. Yuno walked over beside Akise. The two said nothing as they stared at Hinata. Overwhelmed, she sank down to her knees, silent tears spilling down her cheeks as she sat there. Mao crouched beside her, leaning against her, and wanting more than anything to wrap her arms around the brunette. Hinata palmed her mouth as sobs threatened to leave her again. Akise and Yuno glanced at Mao. Mao stared at them, frowning, and nodding acceptingly with a hint of remorsefulness. Akise and Yuno embraced the two in their arms, holding them as Hinata cried and Mao kissed Hinata's unruly brown hair.

Eventually, the police arrived with Shiraishi and Kosaka. Kurusu urged Akise, Mao, Shiraishi, and Kosaka to join him in his cruiser for interrogations down at the station, and Nishijima tended to driving the heartbroken Hinata and the maimed Yuno to the hospital. Their cars drove off into the distance as they made their way to their respective locations, oblivious to eyes that scrutinized them from behind forest bushes.


	13. The Sacred Eye

_Entry 13 - The Sacred Eye_

**/ Monday, April ****24, 2006: 10:10 PM / **

Minene limped through dark alleyways, clutching to her bleeding socket shakily. She couldn't believe it. She couldn't fucking believe it! Not only had First tricked her by offering his submission, he had a feisty little girlfriend at his side. She growled low in her throat at her failure.

Those cerise eyes narrowing into catlike slits, pupils dilated enough that the cerise was only a ring of color to be drowned in the darkness of her feline eyes. Those lips turned down, and then, curling up to a sick satisfied smirk of an evil smile. That pink hair wasn't fit for such a devil in disguise.

Minene's thoughts were disrupted by the sound of talking, but it wasn't just the talking. It was the flashing lights of red that made her freeze in her tracks behind the alley wall. Great, now not only did she need to worry about pink-haired girls with twin tails, but also Fourth and his squad. She had been needing to worry about him, but now it was twice the hassle. Gritting her teeth, Minene scowled and turned away, following an alternative route her diary offered.

She could go back a few alleys and sneak into an unguarded street and make her way from there into the side-thickets. She would have returned to that old college building from before, but it was likely that missing Third or stupid Nishijima would find her there (Pfft! A_s if she wanted that Nishijima to find her, either_)!

Minene fled into the forest, quiet. She pressed her ears, holding her breath. She overheard more conversations between policemen and bypassing car-drivers. By the fiftieth time that Minene heard her name and the pause that signified a somewhat dramatic reveal of her wanted poster, now complete with a photo (_courtesy of those junior pricks from the school flashing her as First's girlfriend attacked_), she was more than a little miffed.

All thanks to her decision to ambush First and Third simultaneously, she risked her anonymity. Before she even set foot into that campus, she was a lot more guarded in the sense that they had no idea what she looked like. Now, after standing in front of the school with a student held at gunpoint for the world to see, she was more exposed. Those photos that the other students within the buildings flashed were likely handed over to the investigation team for payment. Why else would kids like them be so willing to take pictures?

Minene hurried her steps, but half-blindly ran into a tree. The strike on the head intensified the pain for her. Not only was she bleeding from the searing pain of her stricken eye, but now, her head seared from the impact of hitting a tree trunk. She had back planted, hopeless in breaking her fall. She thought she would lay there awhile until the pain alleviated to be bearable, but the idea was immediately disregarded when she heard footsteps nearing her.

"I'll save you."

Her vision was black before she had the chance to do anything.

* * *

**/ Friday, April 28, 2006: 2:57 PM / **

Yuno was hospitalized for two days. She would be for another two. The bite was now wrapped in gauze dressings, and she lay on her hospital bed, smiling warmly every visit her friends made. Shiraishi and Kosaka would stand around, unsure how to interact in the situation. They were adapting very slowly to the oddities of Akise and Yuno's situation as diary-holders. It was a quickly agreed decision the two made, especially since there was no harm in telling them.

Hinata would cry hard, hugging Yuno against her chest like she was all she had, begging her for forgiveness. Hinata was struggling hardest now. She was parentless, sleeping at Mao's place for the time being with the infrequent support of the police department. They couldn't do too much for her, and they weren't around for her as often as supporters should be. It was because they were fixated on the loose Phantom Street Killer and the escaped terrorist after all. Yuno would hug Hinata back and smile through a girlish laugh that fluttered Akise's heart. He could tell that Hinata was forgiven.

Mao was a whole different case. She would stand farthest from Yuno's bed, green eyes blank. She didn't say a word. She didn't have to, Akise and Yuno knew. They knew that she forgave them for what they did to Hinata, but her suspicion of them was still there. It was like a stone wall, standing high and covering smaller Akise and Yuno in its detesting shadow. Neither paid too much attention to it, and Hinata was too overcome by sadness and regret that she didn't notice Mao's behavior at all.

After visiting Yuno and saying "bye" with a little peck on the forehead, Akise and the others walked out of the hospital. He thanked them for coming and proposed to eat lunch together in the café Nishijima took him and Yuno. Of course, Shiraishi and Kosaka were the enthusiastic voices of agreement, and knowing where it was, they raced ahead, challenging each other in a race. Hinata stayed behind with Akise and Mao. She stood there, eyes bloodshot and baggy. Her brown hair was more disheveled than normal, and she was lazily dressed in a sweatshirt, sweatpants, and sneakers. She hadn't had rest in awhile, and maybe if it was anyone else, they would take pleasure in Hinata's plight and call it 'even', but not Akise.

He couldn't help sympathizing with her. She was Yuno's friend. Yes, she was the same friend that betrayed them, but she never meant to harm Yuno. Akise felt that Hinata was upset with him, because he took away her friend and then, he was taking away the only family she knew, her father. The same father that was willing to leave his wife and daughter behind for his own demented beliefs of a perfect family, and that stuck to Hinata. It was his love for dogs instead of her that pushed Hinata to be as doglike as possible; the dog-ear styled hair, the obedience, and the strong loyalty she had of her father. All she wanted to be was doted on.

Akise knew Hinata deserved better than that. His heart wrenched when she looked up at him, tears in her brown eyes. Mao stood between them, just as bedraggled as Hinata. She stayed up nights crying with her, and wiping the tears away, but it wasn't enough. Hinata wanted more. She _needed_ family.

"Akise, can I talk to you for a little? Alone?" asked Hinata quietly, glancing at Mao.

Mao's face withered into a pain-stricken one, but she turned on her heel and disappeared the same way as the other two. Akise tilted his head, hands in the pockets of his purple jacket. Hinata looked back up at him, tears spilling fast down her cheeks as she sank down to her knees.

"Pl-please f-forgive me—" She sobbed out.

Akise slowly smiled down at her. He reached his hand out, pulling her back to her feet very carefully, and into his arms. Hinata sobbed again, trembling in his arms.

"There's no need for that." He whispered, rubbing her back in circles. "I forgave you a long time ago."

"But I—"

"I know." Akise bit his lip, and continued. "You could have killed Yuno, but you didn't. I'm so glad, Hinata. I'm so glad that she's okay. Those dogs could have torn her to shreds, and if that happened, I… I don't know what I would do." He ignored how his voice shook at the confession.

He pulled away from her, smiling at her. Smiling the smile of a boy that wasn't afraid of death, but afraid of losing his loved ones. No one human should smile like that. When he smiled at her, her knees felt weak and she thought she saw an energy shrouding him. She excused it as her imagination, her lack of sleep.

"Let's move past it together." said Akise, pulling away to outstretch his hand to her. "My name is Aru Akise, and someday, I'm going to be a world-class detective. What about you?"

"Hinata Hino." She replied softly, taking his hand. A few tears trailed her cheek as she added, "I'm just hoping for a better future…"

"It's never too late to make one happen." Her held her hand, and together, they trailed after the others.

Overhearing this while hidden, Mao was filled to the brim with an immense fear.

* * *

Akise woke to his doorbell ringing. He walked down, answering the door. Kurusu stood there, tapping his foot impatiently with arms crossed and cigarette hanging from his lips. Akise felt bad for Kurusu's suits, reeking of that foul scent. As if reading Akise's thoughts, he blew it in Akise's face. Akise coughed, waving it away and making a face.

"I'm making sure you're wide awake." said Kurusu.

"What's up, Kurusu-san?" asked Akise, crossing his arms. He'd gone to bed in his dress shirt, unbuttoned down to the third one and slid the tie off, and in his boxers. He had stayed out late with the others. They'd gone to the arcade after lunch, and then, took a walk around Sakurami Plaza, reminiscing of their school.

"I have a possible lead I'd like to pursue and I want you to come. It's about Uryu—" And before Kurusu could finish, Akise ran up to dress.

Akise could very well understand the anger Hinata had had toward him, because he had that same rage towards the anti-religious terrorist. Uryu took Nishijima away from him and she not only killed the innocents of the adjacent school building, but many more. How could he forgive her, especially when he felt like it was _his_ fault? He wanted to catch her the most, because she crushed people all over the world. Families of dead victims overseas grieved, awaiting the day of justice that they knew deep down wouldn't satisfy them. Akise would capture Uryu and never let her bomb again. Briefly, a scenario of Uryu captured distracted him as he adjusted his tie; Uryu sitting in a chair inside of a dark room, blindfolded and arms bound in front of her on the table. She wriggled, and then, her bands were sawed off slowly. She screeched, blood spilling from the torn seams of flesh ending at her upperarms, and the lights flickered on, revealing that it was a interrogation room within the station and the one sawing her arms off was... Akise himself.

_Without arms, she'd never harm another person again._

Akise's eyes widened. He shook the gruesome image aside. It was best that he didn't dwell on it. He walked back down and followed Kurusu into his car. Kurusu explained, in between drags of his cigarette of course, that his diary reported Uryu's whereabouts as a captured fugitive in the cult grounds of the Sacred Eye. Ironic, Uryu was now a prisoner to the type of people she hated, Akise couldn't help thinking wryly with a crooked smile. Kurusu's diary report was confirmed when he received an ominous tape taunting him to drive over here and take Uryu. Kurusu didn't know who sent the tape, but he strongly believed it was an outsider on cult grounds.

For this mission, it would only be Kurusu and Akise. Nishijima was standing guard outside of Yuno's hospital room, and the rest of the station was either working on secondary crime reports or on the hunt for the loose Phantom Street Killer. There wasn't any need for back up, as Kurusu said that this would pass smoothly enough. Akise hoped his all that Kurusu was right.

He hadn't told Yuno, but Akise's diary suspected otherwise of Kurusu's motives in the alliance. It started when Kurusu broke the news of Tenth, Tsukishima Karyuudo's suicide. He had said that Karyuudo pulled a gun on himself the moment he heard Kurusu's footsteps inside the kennel. Akise's diary revised the story into this later that night; _Karyuudo is caught by Kurusu inside the surveillance room in the back of the kennel at 7:33 PM. Kurusu shoots Karyuudo in the back of his head and reports back to Nishijima that he had killed himself by the time he breached the kennel._ Akise didn't want to believe the revision for two very reasons. One, his diary was limited to his perspective, there was that chance that his deductions were incorrect, and if he believed everything it said, he could be penalized by an injury like Yuno right now, or he could get himself killed. He wanted to avoid those scenarios. Two, how could he distrust Kurusu?

Amaranth eyes glanced at Kurusu. Ever since Akise wanted to be a detective from a young age, Kurusu adamantly discouraged him. It wasn't out of any prejudice, but a brute kind of concern. Akise didn't know this for sure or not, but he guessed that Kurusu had children. Maybe he saw his children in other children, or when he had children, his fatherly instinct tended to kick in towards most in Akise's age group. It was for that reason that Akise _felt _strongly that Kurusu wouldn't harm him or Yuno. Kurusu was not two-faced. So, there was no reason to tell Yuno and there was no reason for him to acknowledge the sinking in his chest. The sinking of an inevitable wrongness.

Kurusu's hands gripped the wheel, eyes narrowed in determination to drive through the traffic. He hadn't taken the cruiser, because he wanted to be as low-key as possible, but when he thought about it, he wished he had. He could have easily swayed through the traffic having Akise pull the siren. He sighed quietly to himself, rolling the windows in the front down.

"You're going to smoke again?"

Kurusu grinned at Akise, and then, returned to the road.

"Light one up for me, will you, Akise?"

The silver-haired boy sighed. He pulled Kurusu's pack out from the compartment and proceeded to do as he was told. The whole car smelled of coffee, and Akise wondered if running on cigarettes and coffee was as safe as Kurusu made it out to be. Akise didn't fancy the stench. He held out the lit cigarette out to Kurusu, putting the pack back into the compartment. As soon as Kurusu took the cigarette away, Akise turned and breathed.

"Thank-you, Akise." Kurusu smiled slightly behind his cigarette.

"For what?" asked Akise, cheek rested against his balled hand on the sill of his open window.

_For reminding me, even for a little while what it was like to have a son. _Kurusu's heart clenched. No, he couldn't be sentimental. They were here to pick Uryu up. If he showed any weakness before then, their operation would fall apart. He drew the images of his son, tubes connecting him to a nebulizer, away with the thought of finally apprehending the woman he'd wanted to apprehend the moment she bombed her first church of innocent people. The same woman that tore his marriage; the same woman that made him turn away from family; and the same woman that was giving her all to be a worse God than Deus himself.

Eventually, they arrived at the open gate entrance into the area. Kurusu parked them outside of it. They walked the way there. The gate opened up to a beautiful garden of stone step pathways, Japanese hedges, and streams ending as a rocky pond decorated with lily-pads and jumping koi fish. The temple itself stood proud and old-fashioned with its paper thin slide doors and wooden-slatted composition. Immediately, they were greeted by the sound of drums and the single-file line of followers walking up a path, petals of cherryblossom thrown on them for blessing.

"Sorry," said a short brown-haired girl, "We do not accept visitors without appointments in advance."

Akise and Kurusu exchanged looks.

"Sorry about the intrusion, but it won't take long." said Kurusu, "Only for a little while, please?"

She pouted thoughtfully, and turning away from them, she called out to one of the people standing against the red columns, either blessing the followers or playing the drums steadily. Kurusu and Akise waited, watching afar as she conversed with the woman. The woman had shoulder-length dark purple hair and violet eyes. The petite brunette ran back.

"Sorry for the wait," she said. "The Sacred Eye has agreed to see you shortly. Right this way."

On their way up the stairwell into the center of the temple, the girl introduced herself as Orin Miyashiro. She first led them into an empty room where she prompted them to put on these sashes over their neck with an odd symbol, Akise suspected it to be representative of the "Sacred Eye", most likely the cult leader. She had explained that without wearing the sashes, it was disrespectful to the Sacred Eye. This time, Orin brought them into a spacious and sparse hall that had nothing but a cage facing the entrance, side of the cage were followers that sat in silence, intently watching the three of them as they neared closer and closer to the front of the cage. Orin stopped short at the column, wordlessly nodding for them to keep going. Kurusu and Akise stopped at the front of the cage and sat on their knees like the other followers in the hall.

"Hello, I am the Sacred Eye, Tsubaki Kasugano." said the priestess inside of the cage, sitting behind a kotatsu. "I am pleased to make your acquaintance." Her violet eyes fell on Akise. "May I have a closer look of your face, Akise-kun?"

Akise furrowed his brow, glancing at Kurusu. Kurusu scowled at him; _Just do it. _Akise slowly brought himself over, sitting back down on the knees when he deemed he was close enough to the bars. Too close for comfort that is. She smiled slightly at him.

"I was born with poor sight, I confine myself to this room, because of it. The only joy I have here is writing stories in my diary about visitors that come here. It was only a few weeks ago that my diary was written out itself, telling me about the future. I named it the Clairvoyance Diary, foretelling distant events. This is Sixth's, _my _future diary."

Akise blinked. Sweating from his forehead, Kurusu gritted his teeth; _Shit, another diary-holder. I should have suspected that possibility if Uryu were ever captured. Now they've lured two diary-holders here, and if they wanted, they could kill us right here. What do I do? __I told Akise we wouldn't need back-up, and if I was in trouble, I arranged a time-frame that if I didn't report back to the station, they would have to come here to my aid. That time-frame is nowhere close to the time right now. _

"What do you want?" asked Akise, eyes narrowed.

"Oh, First," Kasugano laughed, smiling. "My intent isn't to harm you, or Fourth. I am simply an oracle, a messenger of God. I feel no need to raise myself any higher than what I am now. I know you came here for Ninth, Minene Uryu. She's in the dungeon. You're more than welcomed to take her away now, if you want."

"What's your motive?" asked Kurusu.

"Ah, the truth is," Kasugano smiled sheepishly. "I have no time for distractions," She held up her foretelling scroll. Written in inky black were the words; **_Tonight, Kasugano Tsubaki is killed. DEAD END_**. There was no timeframe to gauge when her death would be. "I will die if nothing is done. However, if you helped me clear it... that would be most appreciated."

Akise and Kurusu exchanged looks. In the end, Akise sat outside of Kasugano's cell, in the hall alone with her. Throughout the slowly passing day, he checked his diary and thought of Yuno, wondering if she missed him as much as he missed her. Evening fell, and Akise was still guarded, amaranth eyes trained on the open entryway to the hall.

"You seem so tense, Akise-kun." said Kasugano.

"Of course I am," Akise replied, glancing at her and then, back on the entryway. "There's no timeframe for your dead-end. All we know is the moment that night falls, your life is in danger and since neither of our diaries are exactly omniscient, it's all the more reason to be cautious."

"Night has not fallen yet," she added softly. "You can relax, can't you?"

Akise couldn't relax. He couldn't shake that sinking feeling off. Something was bound to go wrong, he knew it. He just knew it, and he didn't have Yuno here to confirm his suspicions. He was fighting his own battle for once. Without Yuno and by himself, Akise knew full well he worked better when they were together than separate. The encounter with Hinata was another testament to that. If he hadn't shown up at the moment he had, Yuno and the others would have likely been killed and Hinata would have gained nothing.

"The entry can change," said Akise matter-of-factly. "The advantage of the entry changing is that we'd know right away from the sound it makes."

"You still have time to relax." She laughed softly, quietly. "There's no reason to be so tense around me. Is it that you don't trust me?"

Akise almost shivered. He couldn't be that obvious, could he? She was reading him like an open book. _No way, no one can read me _that_ easily? I must have done something to leave that impression. Usually, I am not so careless. Then again, all of this sounds too good to be true. We can leave with Uryu, so long as I stay by her side through the night and protect her? _

"I may be confined here, but I am not that out-of-touch. You look at me with such doubt in your eyes."

"I'm sorry, Kasugano-san."

"Why are you apologizing?" She smiled.

"I shouldn't be questioning you." He said, staring at her. "I'll protect you, you know that for certain."

-13-

Minene sat on her knees, arms chained over her head against a wall inside of a cell. She was freezing. The priestess Tsubaki Kasugano coyly requested that she be undressed as prisoner, seeing as how the possibility of her having explosives packed within her articles was high. She narrowed her amethyst eye, the other covered by the patch _he_ had given her. He, who was the shadowed man sitting outside of her cell on a chair. He lifted his head from looking down at his lap, face obscured by shadows of a dim room. Yet somehow knowing that his stare was on _her _still chilled her to her core. She almost shivered.

"What are you planning?" She asked, gritting her teeth.

"Me? I am planning nothing," answered the man. "What is it that you are planning, Minene Uryu?"

"..." She fell quiet, holding his stare.

"You aim to become God, don't you?"

"What's it to you?"

"I wonder."

"Enough with the games! Who's fucking side are you on? It's _not_ a trick question!"

"My, my, what a temper." He sighed softly, "Since you asked, I suppose I could tell you."

Minene prepared herself to hear something godawfully stupid or weird, but instead...

"I am on the side where the most justice prevails," He answered simply, his words confusing her.

_Another cryptic answer._

"What the hell do you mean?"

Minene swore she could feel his lips curling.

"I mean that there is no such thing as good and evil, Uryu. There is only the medium, and that is justice. I helped you out of whim. Is your sense of justice stronger than Fourth's, or is Sixth's conviction enough to outdo the two of you together, I wonder?" He stood, back facing her. "I know Kasugano-sama as well as I know the back of my hand. We met as children..."

* * *

_And I would have done anything for her._

A young boy with short, brown hair walked in between his two parents, holding their hands as they walked down the streets. His clothes were ragged, grimy, and oversized on his small frame. His face speckled with dirt, and at the sight of their dirtiness, bypassers clicked their tongues and whispered their disgust. On a fateful morning in the plaza, he saw her. He saw the young girl with her long, dark blue hair, it was like the night sky. And the moment his brown eyes met her violet eyes, his heart stopped in his chest. She was beautiful, her fanciful robes of red shining in the sunlight as opalescent material. Her parents caught him staring, and he hung his head in apology.

_I didn't think I would see her again. I was captivated by her, she had such a light in her eyes. The two of us belonged to two different worlds. My world of poverty, her world of wealth._

The boy lived in a dingy little shack downtown. His dad was a struggling shopkeeper and his mom was the interconnected seamstress. No one came around. No one wanted them to handle anything, after all they were _dirty_. But he saw her again. She came into his shop with her parents, and they offered them an opportunity. An opportunity to become a part of the Sacred Eye cult. His parents agreed, and every day, he would see that girl.

_My world of grief._

His mother's death from untreated illness.

_My world of weakness._

His father's succumb to heartbreak.

_And still, she held me through it all. She said I was brave, that I was her knight. _

He protected her under her parents' requests. They were inseparable, and it lasted until her parents' mysterious deaths. Then, the boy was thrown out against his will by the girl's new guardian. The guardian had said he didn't want the boy there, and he hated being apart from his princess, because the next day that he came to visit her, he saw that she wasn't the same as before.

_Her cruel world, disguised as a utopia that was utter hell, and it pulled this fence in between us higher. When I saw... when I saw..._

His princess lying down on the floor. Her shining red robes askew to reveal the bruising marble white flesh; her tears streaming down her hopeless, despair-filled face; and her quiet quivering as she cried for the parents that could never come save her. His heart ached. His spirit broke. The knight held his princess, crying with her, begging for forgiveness, begging for her to be alright, but she was already gone. There was nothing that could pull her back.

_What had either of them done to deserve such injustice? _

"This world is hopeless," she whispered. "It's cold, cruel, and hopeless."

"Kasugano-sama..." The boy lifted his head, gritting his teeth as his tears fell down his cheeks, and stared at the broken girl he dearly loved.

"What good am I, Yomotsu?" She smiled sadly at him, the light in her violet eyes dead. "My vision is poor, my parents are dead, and... I am no good anymore. I cannot be a wife. I cannot be a mother. I am _hopeless_-"

"Do not say such things of yourself, Kasugano-sama! You are good enough," He hissed, pulling her tight against him. "_You are good for me_!" His words didn't reach her, even as he could feel the coldness of his own tears down his cheeks. "I love you! I love you!_ I love you with all of my heart to give, Kasugano-sama_!"

Kasugano laughed at him, tears falling and breath coming short.

"You love me? Prove to me how much you love me, Yomotsu! As corrupted as-"

Yomotsu pulled away from her and stared at her, smiling. Such a warm and loving smile through those falling tears, her heart clenched in her chest. The coldness was only melting the slightest, all of the bitterness, all of the unhappiness, and all of the sorrow clinging to the remnants of cold pieces. She gritted her teeth when he caressed her face softly, slowly. She couldn't help the tears that wouldn't stop falling as he looked into her violet eyes so adoringly, so lovingly, so... reverently. The coldest chill swept over her. It wasn't enough for her. So, the knight smiled at his princess and he slit his poor eyes out for her, and he offered them up to her.

* * *

Minene recognized it. Instead of disgust, she felt the slightest sympathetic for this man. In his words that dripped faintly of their own conviction, she didn't miss the longing to protect Sixth; the wish to make her happiest. He loved her, and Minene knew it, because she overheard Nishijima speaking in that same way about her—Face flaming, she quieted the rest of her unneeded thoughts.

"For your sake and many others, I hope your justice wins out of all." He confessed.

"Why say that?" asked Uryu.

"Contrary to how you act, you're a lot kinder than you show—" Uryu's face twisted to a scowl. "—and because of your own world, you would work to make the next one better."

Uryu's scowl fell and she stared down at the floor.

"I must go. Fourth is coming to get you. I wish you the best of luck." He left the keys where he had been sitting.

"Wait!"

He didn't turn, but he did stop in his tracks.

"Who are you?" She asked.

"My name makes no difference to you or anyone, but I am Yomotsu… Yomotsu Hirasaka." _The blinded knight._

-13-

Kasugano smiled wider, violet eyes on the back of Akise;_ What a handsome boy_. Suddenly, a fire blazed from her futon, spreading over to the kotatsu. Their diaries sounded simultaneously. Kasugano gasped, wide-eyed. Akise whipped his head. Quickly, he burst in, whisked her away, and threw them out of the cage. As her "room" was engulfed into heavy flames of a loud roaring fire, followers burst in, concerned of the priestess.

"Someone, please put the fire out!" shouted an old man in robes and a sash over his neck. "It could spread all over the temple!"

Akise stood, gently pulling Kasugano up with him. Shaking with fright, she clung to him by the waist, wide-eyed. The two watched as one of the followers ran at the cage with a bucket, pouring it over the fire, but it helped enlarge it. The smell of gasoline and fire filled the room. Akise pulled them further away from the cage, and before the two of them knew it, her followers were flooding in at each other; grappling for throats to squeeze, swinging the nearest and sharpest projectiles as a makeshift lethal weapon to stab each other or to run at the priestess to attack. Akise's blood ran cold. About to flee the room with her, the sprinkler in the cage went off, showering the fire down to nothingness and the followers snapped out of their murderous stupor. Akise checked his diary, Kurusu took care of it.

"Hypnosis..." whispered Kasugano.

"What?" Akise raised his eyebrow, staring at her.

"Hypnosis, I think they're being controlled by hypnosis." She said softly. "Who?" _Whoever they are, they know my diary's weakness._

"We'll find out in due time. Are you hurt?" Akise pulled away from her slightly, checking her over.

Kasugano blinked, face coloring lightly.

"Akise-kun-"

Kurusu burst in, scowling face running with sweat.

"Akise, Kasugano-san, Uryu's escaped!"


End file.
